Undercounter & Countertop

Undercounter Fridges and Freezers

Fridge and freezer choice here comes down to where the appliance sits rather than what it holds. An undercounter model is built to fit the standard gap beneath a kitchen worktop, which in most Irish kitchens is around 60cm wide and a little under 85cm high, so it works either as the primary fridge in a compact kitchen, a flat or an apartment, or as extra cold storage alongside a full size fridge freezer elsewhere in the house. A tabletop or countertop model is smaller again, small enough for a desk, a bedroom or a student room, and runs off a standard socket with no installation at all.

Three things decide between undercounter models. Whether it is a larder fridge with no freezer compartment, which gives the most usable cold space for the height, or a fridge with an ice box, or a dedicated undercounter freezer. Whether it is integrated behind a cabinet door or freestanding and finished on all sides, since those are not interchangeable once a kitchen is built. And the energy rating, which matters more here than on most appliances because the machine never switches off. Measure the aperture height including the plinth and leave a gap at the back for the compressor to shed heat.

Beko, Hoover, Blomberg, Belling, Liebherr and Hisense cover undercounter larder fridges, integrated freezers and fridge freezer combinations in white, black and stainless steel. For desk and bedroom sizes see mini fridges, and for full height models see fridge freezers.

The integrated models are cleared hardest when a manufacturer changes model numbers. Prices are live all year, so see what is reduced now on fridges and freezers on sale, or the Black Friday fridge freezer deals.