How Much Does It Cost to Run a Refrigerator?

A current full-size model uses about 30 to 60 kWh a month, which is $5 to $10 at the national average rate and $10 to $20 in the most expensive states. An old fridge can use twice that. Check the EnergyGuide kWh per year figure and divide by 12.

The label test runs at a steady 72 degrees with the doors closed. A warm kitchen, frequent door openings, a full ice maker and dirty coils all add compressor time. Twenty to thirty percent above the label is normal in summer.

For a week, no. Emptying and cleaning it is more trouble than the $1 or $2 you would save. For a month or more, yes, if you can empty it and leave the doors propped open so it does not grow mold.

A fridge averages about 50 to 60 W over a day, so a 1 kWh power station runs it for roughly 16 to 20 hours, provided the inverter can handle the 1,000 to 1,200 W start-up surge. See the power station sizer.

A typical full-size refrigerator draws 100 to 200 W while the compressor runs, with 150 W as a common figure, and up to about 1,200 W for a second or two at start-up. Because the compressor only runs about 35 percent of the time, the average over a day is closer to 50 W (150 W x 0.35 = 52.5 W).

About 1.3 kWh a day for a typical full-size model: 150 W x 24 hours x 0.35 duty cycle = 1.26 kWh. That is roughly 22 cents a day and about $80 a year at the national average of 17.3 cents per kWh (460 kWh x $0.173).

Not much for an appliance that never turns off. A current model uses about 350 to 750 kWh a year depending on size and features, a small slice of the roughly 10,000 to 11,000 kWh a year EIA reports for an average US home. An old fridge from the 1990s can use 1,500 kWh, which is where the cost becomes noticeable.

Yes. A fridge needs about 150 W running and up to about 1,200 W for its start-up surge, so any generator rated above that surge with some margin for other loads will run it. Since the compressor cycles, a fridge only adds about 1.3 kWh a day to the generator's load.

Often, for a fridge from before about 2005. Replacing a 1,500 kWh a year 1990s unit with a 400 kWh a year ENERGY STAR model saves about 1,100 kWh, or about $190 a year at 17.3 cents per kWh (1,100 x $0.173). Replacing a 1,000 kWh early 2000s model saves about 600 kWh, or about $104 a year.

Yes. A room at 80 degrees instead of 70 can raise compressor run time by about a third, so a fridge that uses 460 kWh a year indoors can use around 610 kWh in a hot garage. That extra 150 kWh is about $26 a year at the national average rate (150 x $0.173), and an older garage fridge often costs more.