Refrigerator sos!

[joyfulheart]

Our fridge/freezer went ka-put this weekend and we need to purchase a new one.

I was looking at freezer-on-the-bottom ones, as I think they are more energy efficient than side-by-side ones.  Is this still true, or is this out-dated with newer technology??

Any tips/advice on purchasing a new one??  What do you love/hate about your current fridge?

Thanks in advance ~~

[SunRise]

Soon, very soon, I will be getting a bottom freezer fridge.  They are more energy efficient. But there are also newer ones that are even MORE  efficiency  The Maytag EcoConserve is an example.

The bottom freezer - there are two options 1) a pull out drawer or 2) a regular swinging door - left to right. My preference is the pullout drawer as one can then see their food by just looking down. The other, swing open, you would have to crouch down to look in.

The other advantage of bottom freezer ... it makes the fridge stuff at eye level.

There are french door bottom freezers or single door bottom freezer.

The three I am considering are

Samsung 20cubic French door bottom freezer

The Maytag EcoConserve single door, pull out bottom freezer

And the Summit FFBF28 - this one is a swing door bottom freezer. I like this one because it is narrow but about 10inches taller then others. It is only 13 cubic feet, but plenty of room for us. I dont like the swing door though.

I want a small fridge so the ones I have listed are under 20 cubic feet. Standard is more like 26 cubic feet and 36 inches wide.

[cristeen]

Bottom freezer is definitely still more efficient.  And side-by-sides are not very efficient at all - a top freezer is more so.  The french door freezer bottom unfortunately has some of the same drawbacks as the side-by-side, as convenient as it is. 

As for options, skip water in the door, our freezer bottom (Amana) has a filter in the ceiling and a water spigot on the inside wall, it takes almost no room whatsoever.  Which is good, since it's never been hooked up. 

We do have the freezer drawer, and it is much easier to use than my grandmother's, who has the swing door freezer bottom.  She has to get down on all 4s to find anything.  You just have to be careful about overloading it, since then it won't shut properly (and make sure the kids shut it completely - my DH has left it open several times).  Fully loaded it is far too heavy for my toddler to open, though, thankfully. 

I do like the drawers that we have - we have a full width bottom drawer (cold cut drawer), and then 2 veggie crispers.  The bottom drawer is really nice for keeping cheeses and meats "organized", but the lift-lid on the drawer broke far too easily for my taste, so now it no longer is climate controlled. 

Another nice feature to look for is the shelves that slide out.  It makes finding stuff so much easier.  I rarely use it, since my fridge is usually too full, but it also makes cleaning easier.