Refrigerator Manuals & Owner Guides

Refrigerator types explained

Top freezer

The most affordable and typically the most energy-efficient full-size style, with the freezer above the fresh-food compartment.

Bottom freezer

Puts fresh food at eye level. French-door models are a bottom-freezer variant with two side-by-side upper doors.

Side-by-side

Full-height freezer and refrigerator sections side by side; narrow doors suit tight kitchens but limit wide platters.

Compact

Under 7.75 cu. ft.; common in dorms, offices and bars. Manual-defrost compacts use less energy but need periodic defrosting.

Freezerless / all-refrigerator

Dedicated fresh-food units, often paired with a separate upright freezer.

Ideal refrigerator and freezer temperatures

U.S. food-safety guidance is to keep the refrigerator at or below 40 °F (4 °C) and the freezer at 0 °F (−18 °C). Setting the fresh-food section to 37 °F gives a safety margin without freezing produce.

Reading refrigerator energy numbers

Annual energy use (kWh/yr) is measured under a standardized DOE test. Compare it against the federal standard for the same product class: ENERGY STAR refrigerators must use at least about 10% less energy than that standard. Multiply kWh by your electricity rate to estimate yearly cost.

Refrigerator FAQ