Buying the best fridge freezer: Brands to consider

It may seem like a simple task to buy a fridge: You go to the shop, look at the price tag, check the dimensions, say, "Yup, that'll fit" and that's that. However, you may want to hold that thought; did you know that some fridges can "talk" to other appliances in your house? Some can even reduce the growth of harmful bacteria that can cause food poisoning? It's a long way from the humble icebox, that's for sure! All gimmicks aside though, which brands really are the best value for money?

Start with the stars: The energy efficiency star rating system

Let's start with energy efficiency, first for environmental reasons, and secondly because the wrong fridge can cost a bomb in running costs over its lifetime. The Australian and New Zealand Star Rating system for appliances is simple enough to understand: the more stars, the more energy efficient the appliance. When it comes to fridges, there's a big difference in energy efficiency in various classes. For instance, in Australia, only the Fisher & Paykel RB90S 123 litre, single door refrigerator has a 6 star energy rating - the highest available - in the single door class. The same brand comes in at the number two spot, with a 4.5 star fridge, the C190 model. While there's only a star and a half between them, the estimated difference in running costs over a 10-year period is $186. While that might not seem much, it does start adding up when you move into the 300-600 double door class, which is the size of most family units. In this class, both Smeg and Miele come in first at a 4.5 star rating.

Fridge freezer features: Gimmicks or good sense?

While available space can go some way to dictating your choice, other features may affect the decision, such as the reversible doors of the Whirlpool WRI27SG, which might be important for people who move around a lot. Meanwhile there are other features loaded into LG's GCL197NFS, a bacteria "bioshield" for starters, then there are also seven digital sensors, a door open alarm, a child lock, a snack corner, a dairy corner, a wine rack and a deodoriser - all for the arguably reasonable price of around $2500 (considering!).

You may not need your fridge to turn on the upstairs air conditioning, but the modern refrigerator is certainly finding interesting ways to keep your food fresh, and running costs low.