Whirlpool settle debate on impact fridge magnets have on electricity bills | Personal Finance | Finance

There are countless urban myths circulating throughout society, but it appears there may be some truth to one well-known example — and probably not for the reasons you might expect.

According to appliance manufacturer Whirlpool, having a large number of fridge magnets on your fridge could increase your bills.

Whirlpool clarified the genuine concern isn’t the magnets’ impact on energy consumption, but rather the potential deterioration of your fridge’s door.

As reported by the site CMU, a Whirlpool spokesman stated that if excessive magnets are clustered together, it could place excessive weight on the door hinges, potentially diminishing the appliance’s lifespan.

This is comparable to people fixing padlocks to bridges. One “lovelock” isn’t a concern, but several thousand can contribute considerable weight to the structure and potentially trigger issues.

A spokesman from Whirlpool said: “If you only use a few magnets, you shouldn’t expect the refrigerator to operate poorly. The only downside might be some scratches on the surface.”

Despite this, he went on to say that should the magnets accumulate, the likelihood of mechanical damage rises owing to the surplus weight, which exerts pressure on the fridge’s framework.

That said, not all companies share Whirlpool’s assessment and have examined the problem from alternative perspectives. Numerous other bodies saw no problem with fridge magnets affecting a refrigerator’s exterior or its operating costs.

Energy provider Endesa rejected the notion entirely as “completely false”, elaborating that magnets are “so insignificant to the refrigerator’s operation that their magnetic fields don’t even penetrate the fridge doors.”

The Organisation of Consumers and Users (OCU) similarly backed this view, pointing out that while magnetic fields can interact with electrical currents, the magnets on refrigerators are too weak to influence energy consumption, regardless of how many are used.

Technology giant LG said: “Magnets on the outside of a refrigerator have no impact on energy use, lifespan, or food preservation. This is simply a myth.”

While fridge magnets won’t secretly push up your energy bills, it remains prudent to consider how many are displayed on yours and whether the additional weight is putting unnecessary pressure on your hinges.