Warner Stellian Appliance

This post is the first in a new series, “Things I Want” for my new house.

Though the seller’s listing for my new house touted “updated appliances,” the sentence must have been cut off before “…in 1995″ could have been added to make it accurate.

At 15 years old, my noisy top-mount refrigerator nears the end of its life expectancy and runs double the energy a new Energy Star model would — and it’s only 18 cubic feet of capacity.

And, let’s face it: this dusty relic is uuugly. C’mon, I stare at pictures of designer kitchens everyday. That’s like making the Elephant Man judge beauty pageants. Just saying.

Desirable: Liebherr CS-1660

Liebherr, a German refrigeration manufacturer, makes 30-inch wide, counter depth bottom freezer refrigerator that would be a great investment for my kitchen.

This summer, I’ll be receiving a box of fresh produce weekly from a farm share, which makes Liebherr’s dual-compression system an ideal choice.

Standard refrigerators first cool the freezer — meaning the moisture is pulled out of the air as its cooled (think about your skin in the winter) — and then send that air into the refrigerator compartment. So, instead of produce getting the moisture ideal for preservation (think about the sprinklers in the grocery store produce displays), dry air actually draws moisture out of your food.

In Liebherr refrigerators, separate compressors keep colder, dry air in the the freezer away from the moist air in the refrigerator. Produce “keeps” much longer, meaning you throw out much less expensive fresh foods.

Not keen on veggies? You can keep fresh meat and fish in the refrigerator days longer before it needs to be used or frozen.

Plus, Liebherr hands down makes the greenest, most-sustainable refrigerators company out there.

The downside? It’s more than $4,000.

Great investment? Yes.

But unfortunately, I’m not staying in my house long enough to realize the full return on that.

Acquirable: GE GFSS2HCYSS

Built-in egg storage (see detail inset) will accommodate the loose eggs I'm getting from a friend's family's chickens this summer. Perfect...

On sale through August, this GE French-door refrigerator costs only $1,299 in stainless (MSRP is $1,649!).

But the price can’t be the only reason to select a product. So I like this particular fridge because:

• it offers a 22.2 cubic feet capacity
• it’s Energy Star, which means it is 20 percent more energy-efficient than a new, standard refrigerator
• crisper drawers with adjustable humidity help preserve my farm share produce
• adjustable fridge shelves and slide-out freezer shelves help me maximize space

But, let’s face it. I like it because it’s one of the prettiest.

• The hinges are hidden.
• The stainless-steel crown doors distinguish it from many others on the market.
• And the gray cabinet gives a more finished look than the black cabinets many stainless-steel models employ.

From a longevity standpoint, I’d probably choose white (except I hate those textured finishes…) because stainless steel will probably trend out in a decade.

But for a house I plan to live in for five to seven years, a stainless-steel French door refrigerator seems like the most attractive choice from a resale value standpoint.

Those are the features that are important to me. What do you have now, and are you looking to replace it? If you recently purchased a new fridge, what stood out to you about the one you chose?

Tags: BioFresh, CSA, eco-friendly, energy efficient, Energy Star, farm share, food preservation, French-door refrigerator, Liebherr, range, refrigerator, stainless steel appliances

This entry was posted on June 7, 2010 at 11:51 am and is filed under Appliance Design, Best, Budget-wise, Energy Efficiency, Refrigerator, Sustainability, Things I Want. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.