If you need a new refrigerator, now is the time to buy, says Consumer Reports.

You get more features in basic models than ever before, like glass shelves and room on a door to hold four-litre jugs of milk.

You'll also save on energy as today's refrigerators use half the electricity they did in 1990.

Consumer Reports tested refrigerators inside a temperature-controlled chamber to make sure they'll keep your food at a constant temperature.

This round of tests headed up by Joe Pacella included 88 two-door, three-door, and even four-door refrigerators.

One GE profile has a freezer with two drawers. That gives you easier access to your frozen food.

And a Samsung fridge has two drawers on the bottom that you can change from a freezer to a refrigerator, depending on what you need.

Ice and water dispensers are more common on fridges these days and Joe finds they're getting more elaborate. "The GE Profile lets you set exactly how much water you want," said Pacella.

But those added features come at a cost. Fridges with those options sell for $3,000 or more.

And Consumer Reports' measurements show all those drawers and ice dispensers cut into storage space for food.

"Some of these refrigerators only give you 60 or 65 percent of the promised capacity," said Jim Nanni of Consumer Reports.

But you don't have to pay top dollar to get a refrigerator with handy features, like pull-out shelves that make it easier to reach food in the back, drawers that have their own temperature control to keep meat colder, and crisper drawers with a humidity control to keep vegetables fresher.

These are handy features that don't add a lot to the price tag.

As for reliability, Consumer Reports says the most reliable type of fridge is the basic top freezer without an icemaker.

The least reliable styles are side by side and bottom freezer fridges with water and ice dispensers.

And Consumer Reports subscriber surveys say the overall least reliable brand is Maytag.

So the bottom line is that when buying a fridge, if you want reliability, pick something without all the bells and whistles, they're cheaper too .

And finding an Energy Star fridge pays off because you'll save you money every month.

With a report by CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen