The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

Kitchens & Kitchen Remodeling

With the gas-operated models, where there is no moving machinery, the small flame which is constantly burning to operate the mechanism consumes gas costing not more than $1.50 a month (when gas is $1.00 a thousand cubic feet) and an additional expense of not more than 50 cents a month for water if there is a water meter bill. The electrical machines usually operate at about $2.75 to $3.50 a month, with electricity at seven cents a kilowatt hour. While the oil-burning refrigerator, which operates on the same principle as the gas, costs from one to three cents a day, or about $1.00 a month for oil. These costs are the averages worked out by refrigeration experts, but of course they vary a little according to community, size of refrigerator, and its use.

With each type of automatic refrigerator there are special recommendations, and these should be considered as well as the maker's reputation and the special features which will make it particularly adaptable to your house-hold. If you use oil for cooking, the oil refrigerator may be the simplest solution, remembering that the oil refrigerator will cost over $100. If you must pay a water bill, the use of the electric models which do not call for water cooling will perhaps be a wiser choice, their prices ranging from about $100 to several hundreds. The gas model is not only available in the city where there is a plentiful gas supply, but may adorn the kitchen of the country house, where gas in tanks is used for the cooking.

The choice of refrigeration must be determined by fuel, the local dealer's offerings, the amount to be expended, and personal preference after the various types have been investigated. Costs on the average for all types of automatic refrigerators vary from less than $200 to several hundred. Then style and color may come in for a brief consideration after character of the box and mechanism has been decided upon.