Doing anything in an old house is always more difficult than you anticipate.

I decided the other day to defrost the refrigerator, and while I was at it, to move it out of its little alcove and vacuum the coils, something that hadn’t been done in a while and should be done annually to keep your fridge energy efficient. And then, while I was at it, I thought I should weatherproof the floor there, which I suspect of harboring leaky drafts from the cellar and mouse routes into the kitchen. (The cat spends half her winter nights crouching in perfect stillness by the fridge waiting for the next one to appear.)

I was defrosting my nearly new fridge, part of my kick to increase my energy efficiency. I’d like to make a career move to becoming a residential energy auditor, and until I can do that, I’ve been studying up and using myself as a guinea pig.

Part of my studying has involved talking with Gary LaGrange, an energy auditor for the Western Maine Community Action Program. Gary knows a lot about this stuff. He has taught me that tightening a house and becoming more energy efficient is the most important thing anyone can do. Most people save several times the $300 cost of the audit by making simple changes, like caulking windows, weather-stripping doors, adding some insulation here and there, and closing up those drafty mouse entrances to the cellar.

Refrigerators are important too. In most homes, the fridge is the largest user of electricity. Newer refrigerators consume far less than older models. The good news is that some qualified low-income people can get help replacing their refrigerators. I’m not too worried about mine. It’s relatively small, and is a manual defrost, top-freezer model, and we bought it with energy efficiency in mind.

Then again, while I was vacuuming the coils I also decided to clean out the metal tray in the back where the water is supposed to collect and evaporate when you defrost, and my finger went through the rusty pan. I remember that my late husband, God rest his soul, bought this fridge and he’s been gone these 11 years, so maybe it’s not as new as I thought.

But it’s easy to look up. You take the model number, which is printed on a plate usually attached somewhere inside of the fridge, and go online to www.energystar.gov. This is a government program that rates the energy efficiency of appliances. To get an Energy Star, a refrigerator has to be 20 percent more efficient than the usual government standards. You can look up your model (try leaving off the last four or five numbers), find out how efficient it is, and how much you could save by buying a newer one.

I discovered that my “nearly new” refrigerator is 28 years old.

I also discovered that it uses four times the energy of similar newer models, and that in three or four years I can save enough on my electric bill to pay for similar new fridge. And I discovered that if everyone in America with a fridge made before 1993 would replace what they have with an Energy Star model, it would save enough power to light 8.1 million homes for a whole year.

I also discovered another Web site, www.recyclemyoldfridge.com, which gives information about how to responsibly dispose of your old refrigerator. Most older models contain about 123 pounds of reusable steel. The Steel Recycling Institute’s Web site (www.recycle-steel.org and click on Steel Recycling Locator in the left menu) lists several places in our area where appliances can be taken for recycling.

See what I mean? Nothing in an old house is simple.

Now, please excuse me, I have to go shopping for an Energy Star refrigerator.