Fridge Running Cost Calculator: The One Appliance That Never Sleeps
Your refrigerator is the only appliance in the house that never gets a break. It runs day and night, through every season, and it does that for fifteen years or more. That is why a fridge that looks cheap to buy can quietly become one of the bigger lines on your electricity bill — and why an old one can cost far more to keep than most people guess.
This fridge running cost calculator works two ways. If you know the fridge’s running wattage, pick “By wattage” and choose a duty cycle for how hard it works. If you have the yellow energy label, pick “By energy label” and type in its kWh-per-year figure — that is the most accurate number for your exact model. Either way you get the cost per day, month and year at your own electricity price. For the wider picture of usage in general, see our guide How Much Electricity Does a Refrigerator Use? — this page is about what that usage costs.
Fridge Running Cost Calculator
Choose how you want to estimate — by wattage or by the energy label. Results update as you change inputs, or press Calculate. No sign-up, nothing stored.
The duty cycle is the share of the day the compressor is actually running. A modern fridge in a cool kitchen might run 30% of the time; an old fridge in a hot garage can run 70% or more.
Typical fridge running costs
Fridge size and age matter more than most people expect. At the average US electricity price of $0.173 per kWh, the annual cost of common fridge types looks like this:
| Fridge type | Energy use | Running cost |
|---|---|---|
| Mini fridge | ~250 kWh per year | ≈ $43 per year |
| Modern top-freezer | ~450 kWh per year | ≈ $78 per year |
| French-door | ~650 kWh per year | ≈ $112 per year |
| Side-by-side | ~700 kWh per year | ≈ $121 per year |
| Old 1990s fridge | ~1,200 kWh per year | ≈ $208 per year |
The pattern is clear: a big modern fridge costs roughly $80 to $120 a year, while a fridge from the 1990s can cost double that for the same cold storage. Size adds cost slowly; age adds it fast.
The garage fridge trap
When the new fridge arrives, the old one often gets demoted to the garage or basement to keep drinks and overflow food cold. It feels free — it is already paid for, after all. It is not. A 20-year-old fridge working against summer garage heat can cost $150 to $200 or more a year to run, all to chill a few cans and a spare bag of ice. Over five years that is close to the price of a new, efficient fridge, spent on the least efficient appliance you own.
Before you pay to repair an old fridge, or keep one "just in case", do the maths on replacing it. Our Appliance Repair vs Replace Calculator weighs the repair bill against the running-cost savings of a new model. For a second fridge that is mostly empty, the cheapest option is usually the simplest: unplug it, and plug it back in only for the weeks you genuinely need the space.
Simple ways to trim a fridge's running cost
Set the fridge to about 37°F (3°C) and the freezer to 0°F (−18°C) — colder settings waste energy without keeping food any safer. Keep the coils at the back or underneath free of dust, since dusty coils make the compressor work harder. Check the door seals with a banknote: if it slides out of the closed door easily, cold air is leaking and warm air is getting in. Finally, a reasonably full fridge holds its temperature better than an empty one, so consolidate two half-empty fridges into one whenever you can.
What to calculate next
More ways to see what your home's appliances are really costing you:
- How Much Electricity Does a Refrigerator Use? — fridge energy use explained in full, beyond the running cost.
- Electricity Cost Calculator — the running cost of any appliance from its wattage and hours of use.
- Appliance Repair vs Replace Calculator — whether fixing an old fridge beats buying a new one.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a fridge cost to run per year?
About $78 to $121 a year for a modern fridge at average US electricity prices. A 1990s model can cost $200 or more, which is why age matters as much as size.
How many watts does a fridge use?
Typically 100 to 200 watts while the compressor is running. The compressor cycles on and off through the day, so the average draw is lower — the duty cycle in the calculator accounts for that.
Why does an old fridge cost so much more?
Weaker insulation, worn door seals and older, less efficient compressors mean a 1990s fridge can use two to three times the energy of a new model doing the same job.
Should I unplug a second fridge?
If it is old and mostly empty, usually yes — it is often the single easiest $150-plus yearly saving in the house. Consolidate what is in it into your main fridge instead.
Estimates only — the yellow energy label on the fridge is the best figure for your model.