Methods and apparatus that manage electric power consumed by an appliance are disclosed. The appliance has an interior accessible by consumers through a door having an open state and a closed state. The appliance includes a cooling system having at least a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation for cooling the interior of the appliance. Power consumption is managed by monitoring the appliance to identify the open state of the door and transitioning the cooling system of the appliance from the first mode of operation to the second mode of operation responsive at least in part to identification of the open state of the door.