I have a Balay fridge from about 30 years ago that's still working, but I'm wondering if I'm not paying a ton of euros a month just keeping it plugged in. Should I replace it with a newer one or is it still worth keeping?
Appliances from that era consume quite a lot more than the ones nowadays, so yeah, your Balay probably costs you between 150 and 250 euros a year in electricity. The real question is whether it's worth replacing it: if it works fine and doesn't have leaks, the cost of a new one (500-1000 euros minimum) pays for itself in 3-5 years, but you also have to account for disposing of the old electronic waste. A lot of people are surprised at how much their bill drops when they swap out these old appliances, but if your fridge isn't giving you any trouble, it's not urgent.
A refrigerator from the 90s probably consumes between 800 and 1500 kWh per year, depending on size and condition, which translates to around 150-250 euros annually with current electricity prices. A modern A+++ rated one uses less than half that, so if your Balay is in good physical condition but has that noisy compressor from back then, it's definitely worth replacing it after 30 years, because you'll recover the investment in 3-4 years of savings on your electric bill. If it still runs quietly without strange cycles, technically it's economical to keep using it a bit longer, but the energy difference is pretty significant.
If the Balay still works well, before replacing it check the condition of the door seals and the back coil - a lot of people don't realize that accumulated dirt forces the compressor to work twice as hard. A decent cleaning sometimes cuts consumption quite a bit without needing to invest in a new model, so it might be worth doing that first before making a decision.
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