High-rated LG refrigerator may overstate energy savings.(up front: News/Trends/Advice)(LG LRFC25750, testing)

The top-scoring bottom-freezer from our tests last year, the LG LRFC25750, is unlikely to provide the savings promised by its Energy Star designation.

To qualify for the coveted Energy Star, manufacturers must run a test that estimates the energy a refrigerator uses under real-world conditions: when the kitchen temperature is 70[degrees] F and the door is being opened and closed. The test, developed by the U.S. Department of Energy, uses a 90[degrees] F chamber and is performed with the refrigerator doors closed. But it was developed decades ago, before refrigerators had sophisticated electronic controllers, some with sensors that monitor room temperature and door openings.

Our tests record energy use at a wide range of temperatures, and a close look at our data for the LG revealed that a sensor-controlled (and energy-eating) heater used to keep its door gaskets pliable is turned off at--you guessed it--90[degrees] F. The roughly 100 kilowatt hours per year "saved" because the heater is off at the energy-test ...