🧊What does a fridge freezer cost to run?

✓ Tested & verified Updated: Aug 8, 2026 How we calculate this

Fridge freezer running cost

Appliance

Power it draws (watts)

Hours a day

Days a week

Country

Your price per kWh

$6.21 a month ≈ $74.46 a year

That is 1.20 kWh a day · $0.20 a day · $0.03 an hour while it runs

Electricity used a year: 438 kWh
Cost a week: $1.43
Cost a year: $74.46

Enter compressor running hours, not 24. A modern fridge runs roughly a third of the time — about 8 hours a day — which is why 150 W does not mean 3.6 kWh a day.

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How much does a fridge freezer cost to run?

About $0.20 a day, or $75 a year, at $0.17 per kWh — £110 at £0.25, €153 at €0.35. That is a 150 W appliance running roughly eight hours out of every twenty-four.

The running-hours point is the one that trips people up. A fridge never switches off, but its compressor is not always on: it cools until the thermostat is satisfied, stops, and restarts when the temperature drifts. A modern, well-sealed unit in a cool kitchen runs about a third of the time. An old one in a hot kitchen with a tired door seal can run twice that, which doubles the bill without any change in what is inside it.

Because it runs all year, this is one of the few appliances where replacing an old one pays back. A fifteen-year-old fridge freezer commonly uses 500–700 kWh a year against 200–300 for a current model — a difference of $50 to $70 a year in the US and €140 to €200 in Germany.

Refrigeration is the appliance nobody ever switches on, which is why it is worth checking once. Annual figures:

Appliance	kWh a year	At $0.17	At £0.25	At €0.35
Modern A-rated fridge freezer	200	$34	£50	€70
Typical fridge freezer	350	$60	£88	€123
15-year-old fridge freezer	600	$102	£150	€210
Chest freezer, modern	250	$43	£63	€88
Second fridge in the garage	500	$85	£125	€175

The last row is the one worth acting on. A spare fridge kept in an unheated garage for drinks is frequently the third or fourth largest consumer in a house, and it is the easiest thing on this page to switch off.

Frequently asked questions

Does a fridge use electricity all the time?

It is powered all the time but only draws its full wattage while the compressor runs — typically a third of the day for a modern unit in a normal kitchen. That duty cycle is what the hours field here is for. Lights, controls and fans account for a few watts continuously.

How much does an old fridge cost compared with a new one?

A fifteen-year-old fridge freezer commonly uses 500 to 700 kWh a year; a current ENERGY STAR model 200 to 300. At $0.17 that is a difference of $34 to $68 a year, at £0.25 £50 to £100, at €0.35 €70 to €140. Over the ten years the new one will last, that is a meaningful part of its price.

Is a chest freezer cheaper to run than an upright?

Usually yes. Cold air falls, so an upright loses most of its cold every time the door opens while a chest keeps it. Chest freezers are also typically better insulated. The trade-off is floor space and having to dig for things.

Where should I put the fridge?

Away from the oven, out of direct sun, and with clearance behind it. A fridge rejects heat through the coils at the back; if that heat cannot escape, or if the surrounding air is warm, the compressor runs longer for the same coldness. Vacuuming the coils once a year is a genuine saving on an older machine.

What temperature should it be set to?

About 37–40 °F (3–5 °C) for the fridge and 0 °F (−18 °C) for the freezer. Colder than that uses more electricity without keeping food better. A cheap fridge thermometer is worth more than the dial, which on many machines is a number from one to five with no units at all.

Does a full fridge use less electricity?

A full freezer does — the frozen mass holds temperature when the door opens. A full fridge makes less difference, and packing it so tightly that air cannot circulate makes it worse. The one thing that clearly costs money is putting hot food straight in.

How we calculate this

Cost is watts × running hours ÷ 1,000 × your price per kWh. The crucial input is compressor run time, not hours plugged in: a modern fridge freezer cycles for roughly a third of the day, so the default here is eight hours at 150 W. Manufacturers publish annual kWh figures measured over a full duty cycle, and dividing that by 365 gives a more accurate daily number for a specific model — either approach reaches the same place. Typical wattage of 150 W is shown with its usual 100–250 W range. Comparisons with older appliances use published annual consumption figures rather than wattage, because duty cycle is where most of the difference lies.

Worked example

With Appliance Fridge freezer, Power it draws (watts) 150, Hours a day 8, Days a week 7, Country United States (USD), Your price per kWh 0.17, this page works out $6.21 a month ≈ $74.46 a year. That is 1.20 kWh a day · $0.20 a day · $0.03 an hour while it runs

Electricity used a year438 kWh
Cost a week$1.43
Cost a year$74.46

Sources: