As green has moved from catchy marketing term to reality, boosting the energy efficiency of their wares has become a priority for appliance manufacturers.­ Miele has included some new features on its recently launched Independence series refrigerators to boost their efficiency.

For instance, the KF 1801 and 1811 30-inch built-in bottom-freezers, $7,000 and up, are 33 percent more efficient than the U.S. Department of Energy’s minimum efficiency standard for this type of refrigerator, claims the manufacturer.

Among the interesting features is RemoteVision technology, which sounds an alarm if the temperature in the refrigerator or freezer rises above a set limit, starting at 15 minutes. If you’re away from home, Miele will receive an alert via a wireless local area network. A service representative will then contact you to gain access to your home and fix the problem. (This sounds like a nifty piece of high tech, but a better move might simply be to do a quick fridge-door check before you head out.)

The SuperCool feature is designed to quickly return the refrigerator to optimal cooling temperature after the door has been open for an extended period, say when you’re putting away the groceries.

Other features include fully-integrated or framed-stainless-steel installation; digital touch temperature controls for each of the refrigerator’s four independent cooling zones; recessed halogen lights, designed to eliminate dark corners—and reveal the weeks-old leftovers that lurk there; rail-mounted shelves that you adjust with a tilt-and-slide motion; and full-extension drawers.

We’ll review the manufacturer’s energy-use and performance claims if we test this model in the future.—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: For more ways to cut back on your energy consumption, read “Save Energy, Save Money” in the October 2008 issue of Consumer Reports. Some appliances use more energy than their manufacturers claim. Read “Energy Star Has Lost Some Luster” for more details. If you’re in the market for a new refrigerator, check out our latest ratings-based report and watch the behind-the-scenes video (right) to see how we test refrigerators.