There is something in every home that no one can live without. This amazing piece of technology is a blessing for the modern world, without it who knows where we would be. It keeps our food fresh and cold and helps us keep our families fed. We can't live without it yet it is one of the biggest drain on our electric bills.

There are ways to maximize your refrigerator's efficiency and lower its energy consumption. Try some of these easy tricks to get the most out of your fridge:

• Keep the temperature at the manufacturer's recommended setting. Keeping it lower than recommended can greatly increase your energy consumption and make your electric bill go up.
• Try to put your fridge in a cool location away from other electronics that heat up such as the microwave and oven.
• Clean the coils located on the back of your refrigerator. Dust and grime could cover them and act as heating insulation making your fridge work harder and use more energy.
• Keep it as full as possible so it doesn't have to cool empty space.
• Limit your trips to the fridge. Cool air escapes and changes the temperature every time you open the door. And try not to leave it open for long periods of time.
• Allow food to cool before placing them in the refrigerator. The cooler the food the less energy it uses to try to cool it down.
• Cover food so your fridge doesn't have to work harder cooling uneven surfaces.
• Inspect seals around the door every now and then to make sure no cold air is escaping. A leak will cause your refrigerator's temperature to rise.

As always if you suspect your refrigerator is not working like it should call the professionals at John's Electric to get it back in working order.