Freezers

Starting on the outside, an Upright Freezer has a single door which opens just like a Fridge and are vertical so they can take up less floor space. Chest Freezers have lids which require bending down to lift open but often have more usable capacity that is more energy efficient.

Inside an Upright you’ll mostly find shelves with clear compartments or shelves with pullout drawers like Westinghouse's. Chest Freezers are one big storage unit with the inclusion of one, two or three baskets and have the largest freezer volumes available like some Haier models. Chest Freezers require manual defrosting via a drainage outlet while Upright Freezers are generally frost free.

Upright and Chest Freezers serve different storage purposes: Chest Freezers are a longer term storage solution with their ability to deep freeze fresh or frozen packaged goods for maximum preservation, while Upright Freezers are helpful in organising and retrieving frozen goods regularly reached for.

If Freezer organisation is important to you, look for Upright models that can help separate pre-cooked freezer meals from meats, frozen veg or desserts, like the ChiQ's range with top-to-bottom clear compartment storage.

Upright Freezers vary in volume from around 86 litres in small Bar Freezers to around the 380L usable capacity mark to meet larger storage demands for households that rely on frozen goods for everyday cooking or defrosting. Keep in mind that not all Upright Freezers have twist ice dispensers.

Some Upright Freezers can even be pigeon paired with a Single Door Fridge which can be perfect for separate fridge freezer storage while still achieving a seamless look like Hisense's Single Door Fridges. Unlike Chest Freezers which often have manual temperature control via a dial, Upright have electronic temperature control some of which can be controlled via the front door or internally.

Chest freezers and Deep Freezers are the exact same thing. In a Chest Freezer you’re deep freezing foods that you may not reach for regularly like bargain meats, tubs of ice cream or even freshly caught fish, keeping them in an optimal environment for longevity. They range in volume from around 140L and up for some serious space.

An adjustable dial gives exact temperature control and can be a range of between 1 to 5 with higher numbers being colder, or simple “Max” / “Min” settings. Some Chest Freezers have settings to accelerate freezing so that fresh seafood or homemade meals are snap frozen very quickly.

Their ability to freeze really well just means produce and meals need to be appropriately sealed and packaged prior to storing to prevent freezer burn or drying out as that can alter the original look or taste. We recommend our range of Vacuum Food Sealers to keep food fresher for longer.

Chest Freezers are generally more energy efficient than Upright Freezers as they often have larger usable litre capacities with a higher Energy Rating. Remember to always choose the Freezer type with the usable volume that suits your requirements best to not consume more electricity than required.

Ensuring cooked meals are fully cooled before freezing and limiting the amount of time an accelerated freezer setting is used or the door is left open can all help to reduce energy consumption.

To understand whether freezers you consider will fare well on energy consumption, keep an eye out for the Energy Rating when comparing models of the same type and similar usable capacity - the higher the Energy Rating, the less electricity it’ll consume on average. It’s also a good idea to gauge the average annual running cost by referring to the Australian Government’s Energy Rating site for an estimate.