Refrigerators and freezers can be found in a wide variety of labs serving a wide variety of industries. That means that these instruments must meet many different requirements.  However, one need that is common across many labs is the desire for value, due to the funding cuts and other pressures brought on by the tough economy. Energy saving features are important for the same reason—to save money— but also because of an increasing concern for the environment, which is especially common in academic labs. In biotech and pharmaceutical labs, keeping up a high performance level trumps value and price due to the need to meet the stringent guidelines set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for quality. Regardless of what kind of lab you work in, some general questions you should ask when buying a lab fridge or freezer include: How the product is manufactured, what the warranty includes, how green the product is, how much sample capacity you are getting for your space and what the best voltage/wiring conditions are for the fridge or freezer.