Which Is Better: Top Freezer or Bottom Freezer?

10.7.18

Which Is Better: Top Freezer or Bottom Freezer?s

There are a lot of factors to consider when purchasing a new refrigerator. Naturally, the first two things to consider are size and price. Then, you must choose the configuration of your fridge. By configuration, we mean where the freezer is located. Yes, choosing where the freezer will be isn’t quite as exciting as choosing if you’ll go with Whirlpool’s Sunset Bronze or KitchenAid’s Black Stainless Steel finish, but it’s actually a very important feature that will impact your daily life. Here we consider both the advantages and disadvantages of top freezers and bottom freezers to help you make an informed decision.

Refrigeration Location

As you will see, refrigerators are categorized by the location of the freezer. At first, you may think a top-mount freezer will benefit you most since your frozen foods will be conveniently at eye-level. However, more than likely you are using your refrigerator more regularly then you even touch your freezer. Your refrigerator contains the foods you use the most on a regular basis, from the milk for your cereal to the cheese for your midnight snack. Instead of having to bend-over or presume a squatting position each time you need to reach into the back of your refrigerator with a top-mount freezer, you and your back will likely benefit from a bottom freezer configuration.

Less Straining

It may seem redundant to discuss which configuration is least straining when we literally just addressed how bottom freezers are easier on your back. However, this one comes down to your personal lifestyle. Consider how much and which types of foods you keep in your freezer. Maybe you like to grow a huge garden every year and keep a healthy stash of frozen food storage on hand. Or, maybe you meal-prep each month with large freezer meals. And lastly, consider how often you host and the Holidays in which you may find yourself storing a 30-lb bird. With a bottom freezer, it will be more strain to reach way down to lift a beast-of-a-bird compared to the convenient eye-level freezer on the top-mount refrigerators.

Freezer Organization & Size

While you might first think of frozen foods as not-so-healthy frozen pizzas or Hot Pockets, there are plenty of healthy foods, such as frozen fruits for smoothies and frozen veggies for stir-fry, which can greatly help you with meal-planning and staying healthy. It’s actually a good idea to keep a lot of frozen foods on hand for regular use. Top mount refrigerators generally only have a shelf or two to keep your foods organized whereas bottom freezers usually include lift-out baskets or pull-out shelves. So if you tend to use your freezer regularly throughout the week, you will likely benefit from a bottom freezer for optimal storage organization.

Energy Efficiency

With its modern design, you would think the bottom freezer is the most energy efficient. However, top freezers are actually more energy efficient than bottom freezers. The reason is that of the location of the compressor. The compressor works hard to cool the fridge and freezer but also generates its own heat. On bottom freezer refrigerators, the compressor is tucked underneath the unit, allowing some of the heat to enter the freezer, forcing the unit to work even harder. However, on top freezer refrigerators, the compressor is further from the freezer so it doesn’t have to work as hard to keep the refrigerator and freezer at consistent temperatures.

Now that we’ve reviewed the benefits of both top mount and bottom freezer refrigerators and you’ve considered your own lifestyle, which one will you choose? Visit a Happys Appliances near you to compare both for yourself!