@meow,since the mid 90's most electronics (and even cars) have been deliberately made NOT to be durable. So my two bits - look for a brand that is well supported locally like LG. In terms of consumption,someone has already covered some aspects - a full fridge takes less cooling and keeps cool and the interval between the themostat kicking in is longer. While we cannot always have a fully stocked fridge,we can always put bottles of boiled water (like Fanta 3 litre bottles) to 'fill up' the air space. In a month such as this,have the dial turned down to the minimum. Always ensure the magnetic seal is in good shape to prevent cold air escaping. Never 'super cool' stuff like boiled water,or cooling food for kids,etc - steam and heat will reduce the life of your fridge and even the seals - poor seals means the thermo keeps kicking in too frequently and increases elec costs. My 2 cowries

The problem with equality is that we desire that it be with those that have more than us rather that those that have less