ANALYSIS: REFRIGERATION Home Appliances
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The cold never bothered me anyway
Refrigeration is getting smarter, with manufacturers introducing new technologies to keep food fresher for longer, cut energy consumption and make everyday life that little bit easier. ERT finds out more.
gone. Refrigeration has come a long way from simply keeping food cold. With consumers paying closer attention to food waste, running costs and the overall design of their kitchens, manufacturers are having to think differently about what a fridge freezer should offer. For AEG, much of that development is
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centred on food preservation, with new technologies designed to help ingredients stay fresher for longer.
Luke Ralph, Cooling Range Manager at
Electrolux Group UK & Ireland – Taste Product Line, says changing consumer habits are having a noticeable influence on the category.
here was a time when buying a fridge freezer was fairly straightforward. Does it fit? Is it big enough? And, most importantly, will it keep the milk cold? Well, those days are long
“We’re seeing a growing focus on keeping
food at its best for longer, as consumers look to make the most of the ingredients they buy,” he explains. “This is driving innovation in technologies designed to create the right storage conditions for different types of food, helping to preserve texture, quality and flavour.” One example is AEG’s 8000 Series Fridge
Freezer, which features GreenZone and GreenZone+ drawers designed to provide suitable storage conditions for fresh produce, including fruit and vegetables. It’s an area that has become particularly
relevant as households look to get more from their weekly food shop. According to WRAP’s most recent estimate, based on 2021 and 2022 data, the UK generates approximately 10.2 million tonnes of food waste, underlining the scale of the problem.
Mr Ralph says consumers are increasingly
recognising that refrigeration can play a part in addressing this, particularly when it comes to maintaining the quality of fresh ingredients. However, food preservation is only one part of the picture. Energy consumption remains an important consideration, not least because a fridge freezer is one of the few household appliances running 24 hours a day. AEG has been exploring how artificial intelligence can help here, introducing its AI CoolAssist technology, which learns how people use their fridge freezer throughout the day. Rather than operating in exactly the same
way regardless of what’s happening in the household, the system recognises usage patterns around breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as occasions such as returning home with the weekly shopping. It then adjusts temperature and energy usage
accordingly, with AEG claiming energy savings of up to 15 per cent under specified conditions. Interestingly, the technology operates entirely offline, without
requiring an app, Wi-Fi or
Bluetooth connection. “AI is one of the most significant developments
across the appliance industry, but what is particularly interesting within refrigeration is how
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