Going Away in the Middle of Scorching Summer? Turn on Holiday Mode in Your Refrigerator and Save On Your Bills!

Most people don't even know what a refrigerator's holiday mode is, let alone how to set it up. And it's much simpler than you might think, at the same time saving a lot of money.

Holiday mode is designed to reduce energy consumption when you are on vacation for an extended period of time. If the refrigerator is equipped with holiday mode, activating it will cause the freezer to operate normally, and the temperature in the other compartments will be maintained at 15°C (59F) , stopping the development of unpleasant odors and mold in the empty refrigerator.

To put it in slightly more professional terms, the refrigerator's holiday mode reduces the amount of energy consumed by the appliance by stopping the operation of the refrigerator's main compartment (and possibly other additional compartments not including the freezer). In doing so, however, it is important to remember that the refrigerator should be empty, or at least there should be no products in it that require normal cooling.

Nowadays, most modern refrigerators have a holiday button somewhere on its outside. Press it and hold it for a few seconds to activate the holiday mode. To turn off this mode, press and hold the holiday button again for a few seconds. The temperature of the refrigerator will return to the previous setting.

According to many experts, it is best if the temperature in the refrigerator is 4.4°C (40F) or less. And ideally if it is between 1.7 (34F) and 3.3°C (38F). In contrast, the ideal temperature in the freezer is below -18°C (-0.4F). Such low temperatures, however, are not necessary if you're on vacation and don't have any perishable foods in the fridge at the time.

Some refrigerators do not show the temperature, but have mysterious numbers around the temperature dial. These indicate the cooling power. With a range from 1 to 5, usually the higher the setting, the stronger the refrigerator will cool. But beware: there are also refrigerators that have a setting from 1 to 7. And in their case, the rule is usually reversed! 1 means the coldest setting, and 7 means the warmest setting. So it is best to check what and how by trial and error, just in case.