• Cheradenine@sh.itjust.works
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      6 months ago

      I don’t know about new fridges, but some old ones had a heater in the Butter Drawer (usually a shelf with a door). It made the butter easier to spread. People weren’t concerned about energy usage back in the day.

      The last one I measured drew a steady 10 watts.

      Butter drawer top center (on the door), egg shelf below that.

      • Victor@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        A heater in the fridge! 😄🔥 I just put my butter on the table for a couple minutes and scrape a few “pieces” off the top so that it warms faster. Call me a caveman. 😐🤷‍♂️

        • 0ops@lemm.ee
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          6 months ago

          My parents used to have a General Motors built electric stove, and it showed as the thing practically had a dashboard. Iirc it looked a lot like this:

        • Cheradenine@sh.itjust.works
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          6 months ago

          You are correct. Eta: that was in fact constant draw, unlike the compressor which is only on when needed. Like I said, no one cared about consumption when electricity was cheap.

          This was an old refrigerator I was renovating for a friend. It was it very good condition, it had been regularly cleaned but no longer worked. It needed a new contactor.

          I plugged it in with everything disconnected (I thought) so I could check for wiring faults. After some head scratching I took the door apart and found the butter warmer.

          The original plan was get it working and replace the ancient door gaskets. In the end it was that, and disconnecting the butter warmer, and putting modern insulation in it. Once all that was done the energy consumption was just slightly more than a modern fridge the same size. I was quite surprised because I thought it would be terrible. Her rationale was that she has way more solar than she uses and she loved the fridge. I’m not sure I agree with that but the embodied energy costs are certainly much lower. Made in the 1950’s still working today.

          Oh, and because I did it as a favor, total cost was less than $100. Craigslist free (haul it away), labor free, parts about $80 something.

          p.s. ask me about my Craigslist O’Keefe and Merritt range.