Refrigerators: Small Stuff

Reviewed by:
Rosemary Thornton

Incorporating several energy saving features, this diminuitve refrigerator uses about one-sixth the energy of similarly sized appliances. Part of the energy savings is created by thick walls of polyurethane foam, high humidity food storage (which prolongs food life and requires less energy to maintain) and manual defrost.

According to the manufacturer, the defrost process is engineered to be simple and easy; the ice drops off in large pieces. The refrigerator is offered with AC or DC compressors, so it can be used at home or on the road. The RF4 unit (shown here) is 4 cubic feet and offered as refrigerator or freezer only.

Sun Frost R4 starts at $1,310 (August2006).