While the concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by nearly twice since the beginning of the industrial revolution in the mid-18th century, the amount of methane in the atmosphere has increased by nearly twice that amount in the same time period.

This is a problem for the atmosphere, since this particular greenhouse gas just happens to be many times more efficient at trapping the sun’s long-wave radiation that’s responsible for planetary warming.

Landfills are just one service way that excess planetary methane is created. Though significant amounts are also caused by all the collected flatus of cows and volcanoes, landfill-generated methane is extremely powerful. It is, in fact, over 70 times more powerful a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. It is expected that methane released today will still be detectable in the atmosphere a century in the future.

The coolant systems of most freezers, refrigerators, dehumidifiers and other condenser devices were designed to use the CFC known as Freon. Between the 1950s and the late 1990s, this made its way into virtually every home in North America.

Now newer models use a different type of coolant that is less harmful to the ozone layer. While new machines are far more energy efficient, significant energy savings are also achieved by recycling your existing model. This can be done with relatively minor changes to the system that shouldn’t cost much at all compared to the cost of a new machine.

While freon coolant isn’t a concern while the refrigerator is running properly, its leaks that allow it to escape into the larger atmosphere – it’s not “consumed” any way during operation. More extensive modifications, including replacing the seals with more efficient ones and increasing the insulation value of the surrounding housing, can significantly increase the energy efficiency of an older ‘fridge that’s otherwise working well.