A refrigerator uses a heat pump to transfer heat from inside the refrigerator to the external environment, cooling the inside below ambient temperature. Refrigeration allows for essential food storage by lowering bacteria reproduction rates and spoilage. Refrigerators maintain temperatures just above freezing to store perishable foods between 3-5°C. They replaced iceboxes in homes in the early 1900s and use vapor compression cycles to circulate refrigerants like HFC-134a or isobutane that absorb heat and cool the evaporator.