Side by Side Fridges

A Side-by-Side Fridge has two doors: one to access a full length freezer and the other a full length fridge, which is an ideal scenario when relying on fresh and frozen foods equally. The freezer is a great organisation tool, so if you batch cook meals or stash frozen fruits for smoothies then it makes sense to have them as accessible as possible.

What you see is what you get with a Side by Side Fridge Freezer as everything’s on display on shelves, in drawers and in door bins with no hidden surprises. Many models offer adjustable spill proof shelving for both bulky goods and accidental spillage. Many come with a water dispenser, while some contain both water and ice dispensers.

Large usable litre capacities make these fridges ideal for a 3-4 person household. Keep in mind they can take up a fair bit of room so measure the space carefully and if you find it tight, consider a fridge which can maximise internal space without increasing external dimensions.

The most notable difference is in the configuration: Side by Side Fridges have the fridge and freezer next to each other across two doors, while French Door Fridges have the fridge above the freezer with two doors for fridge access and two doors for the freezer below, or one freezer drawer with stacked pull out baskets.

While Side-by-Side Fridges can be great for kitchens that need ample fridge and freezer space with quick access to both, French Door Fridges are more about the fridge with wide and deep shelves at eye level to store plenty of fresh food, drinks and party platters. This is coupled with flexible storage solutions like slide back or flip up shelving in Westinghouse French Door Fridges to cater for unexpected items.

French Door Fridges have more models that dispense both ice and water, as well as having more robust amd flexible storage across convertible temperature compartments in either the fridge or freezer, while Side-by-Side fridges tend not to.

Generally, you’ll find the freezer to the left in a Side-by-Side Fridge. Side by Side Fridges hero the freezer as full length for storing all those frozen essentials that can be a huge help in busy kitchens, especially households that rely on frozen meals for defrosting midweek or storing frozen veg, fruit or pastry for cooking and baking.

The freezer volume of a Side-by-Side fridge is generous enough for loading and stacking various foods on shelves and in pull out drawers for an organised space, so you can place frozen desserts on one, meals on the other and so forth.

Very few Side-by-Side models offer both water and ice dispensing however keep in mind that ones that do may take up freezer space. To get around this, brands like LG have their ice maker built into the freezer door to not sacrifice on freezer storage while also allowing storage in freezer door bins.

With their larger usable litre capacities at around the 570 to 660-litre-mark, Side-by-Side fridges tend to consume more electricity, so they can cost more to run. The majority have 3 to 3.5 Star Energy Ratings, while others can be higher on the upper end of the usable capacity scale with a 4 Star Energy Rating.

To avoid any surprises, it’s a good idea to estimate the average annual running cost. For an estimate, the Australian Government’s Energy Rating site says to multiply the kilowatt hours (kWh) noted on the energy label by the cost of electricity in your area. Remember to compare models of the same usable capacity to get an accurate understanding on the energy efficiency.

Side-by-Side Fridges generally have a higher annual running cost due to their spacious volume, so to make good use of these fridges ensure the usable capacity meet your living requirements before buying.