EnergyCostHub

How much electricity does a freezer use?

By Yevhen Zakharov · Updated October 19, 2026

A freezer, like a refrigerator, never switches off. How much electricity it uses depends mostly on its type and size. The ENERGY STAR certified list for residential freezers gives a standardized annual kWh for every certified model, which makes it the best public source for typical figures.

This guide turns that list into energy and cost per day, per month and per year. It also shows how type and size change the result, explains the limits of the figures and shows how to work out the cost at your own electricity price. The data is the ENERGY STAR list as it stood in October 2026.

The short answer

Among 655 current ENERGY STAR certified freezers, the median upright freezer uses 438 kWh per year. That is about 1.20 kWh a day (every 24 hours) and 36.5 kWh a month. The median compact freezer uses 244 kWh per year, about 0.67 kWh a day.

The two types differ by almost a factor of two, so the first question to answer is which type you have or plan to buy. Cost follows from energy and from your price per kWh.

Type (median model) Cost per month at 15¢ Cost per year at 15¢ Cost per year at 25¢
Upright freezer $5.48 $65.70 $109.50
Compact freezer $3.05 $36.60 $61.00

Freezer energy use per day, per month and per year

ENERGY STAR publishes one annual figure per model. Dividing it by 365 gives energy per day, and dividing it by 12 gives energy per month. Multiplying by a price per kWh gives the cost. The table below applies these steps to the median model of each type.

The tables in this section show the median model of each type, and the models and ranges behind them. Compact, upright and chest freezers are listed separately in the data.

The cost columns follow from the annual figure and the price.

Energy and cost by freezer type

The data lists upright freezers, chest freezers and units flagged as compact. The table shows the median model of each type.

Type (median model) kWh per year kWh per day kWh per month Cost per day at 15¢ Cost per month at 15¢ Cost per year at 15¢ Cost per month at 25¢
Upright freezer 438 1.20 36.5 $0.18 $5.48 $65.70 $9.13
Compact freezer 244 0.67 20.3 $0.10 $3.05 $36.60 $5.08
Chest freezer 218 0.60 18.2 $0.09 $2.73 $32.70 $4.54

The second table shows how many models each type holds, the lowest and highest annual figure, and the median total volume.

Type Models Range kWh/yr Median total volume (ft³)
Upright freezer 484 247 to 649 14.7
Compact freezer 162 137 to 408 4.6
Chest freezer 9 201 to 346 10.6

A caution about chest freezers

ENERGY STAR lists only nine certified chest freezers, so the chest freezer row rests on a very small group. The numbers are published and correct for those nine models, but they are not a reliable picture of chest freezers in general.

If you are choosing between an upright and a chest freezer, compare the annual kWh of the exact models you are looking at. A group of nine cannot say how every chest freezer behaves.

How size changes a freezer's energy use

Inside the upright type, the largest units use the most. The table groups the certified upright freezers by total volume and shows the median model of each group.

Total volume (median upright) kWh per year kWh per day kWh per month Cost per day at 15¢ Cost per month at 15¢ Cost per year at 15¢ Cost per month at 25¢
5 to under 10 ft³ 428 1.17 35.7 $0.18 $5.35 $64.20 $8.92
10 to under 15 ft³ 394 1.08 32.8 $0.16 $4.93 $59.10 $8.21
15 ft³ and up 493 1.35 41.1 $0.20 $6.16 $73.95 $10.27

The range inside each group shows how much the models differ.

Total volume Models Range kWh/yr
5 to under 10 ft³ 51 247 to 480
10 to under 15 ft³ 192 249 to 523
15 ft³ and up 241 415 to 649

Smaller does not always mean cheaper

The smallest uprights do not use the least: the 10 to 15 cubic feet group has the lowest median at 394 kWh a year, below the 428 kWh of the 5 to 10 cubic feet group. One possible reason is that very small units are less efficient for their size, but the dataset does not state a reason, so treat that as a possibility rather than a finding.

The practical point is that size class alone does not predict the figure. Two freezers of similar size can sit far apart in the list.

The largest uprights

Uprights of 15 cubic feet and larger have a median of 493 kWh a year, and their lowest model uses 415 kWh. Even the most efficient of the large uprights, at 415 kWh, uses more than the median of the 10 to 15 cubic feet group, 394 kWh. If you need that much space, the choice of model still matters: the group ranges from 415 to 649 kWh.

For a large upright the decision is not only about size. The model with the lowest figure in the group uses 415 kWh, and the highest uses 649 kWh, a difference of more than 200 kWh a year.

At 15 cents per kWh that is a difference of more than $30 a year.

Why per-day and per-month figures are averages

The yearly figure is the one ENERGY STAR publishes. The day and month figures are that number divided by 365 and by 12, so they are averages over the year, not measurements of a single day.

A freezer works hardest when it is loaded with warm food or when its door is open. Over the year these periods are short, and the average is a fair guide.

The next two sections explain what moves a freezer away from the average.

What moves a freezer above or below the average

ENERGY STAR states that use varies with how often the door is opened, the room temperature and how full the freezer is. A freezer in a hot garage works harder than one in a cool basement. A freezer that is opened often or loaded with warm food uses more.

Over a full year these differences tend to even out toward the published figure, but a single month can be above or below it.

What a flat monthly cost hides

A monthly cost of $5.48 for the median upright at 15 cents per kWh is a flat average. In practice the cost is a little higher in a hot month and a little lower in a cool one. The monthly figure is a fair size of the cost, not a prediction.

If you want a figure for a particular month, measure the freezer with a plug-in meter in that month. The reading shows the effect of the season and of your use.

For comparing models, the flat figure is the right one to use.

Freezer watts and cost per hour

ENERGY STAR does not publish a wattage for freezers, and the compressor switches on and off, so one wattage would mislead. This site does not state one.

A cost per hour needs a wattage. ENERGY STAR does not publish one for freezers, so this site does not either.

The next sections explain the reason and show how to measure.

Why a single wattage does not fit

A label may show the power the compressor draws while it runs. A freezer runs only part of the time, so its average power is lower and changes with the room and the use. The yearly kWh already contains the cycling, which is why it is the number to use for cost.

The compressor is on for part of each hour, so the average power is lower than the power while it runs. The share of time changes with the room, the door and the load.

For this reason the annual figure is the better basis for cost.

How to measure your own freezer

A plug-in energy meter gives a direct measurement for a specific unit. Run the freezer on the meter for at least 24 hours with normal use.

  1. Read the kWh after 24 hours.
  2. Multiply by 365 for a yearly estimate.
  3. Multiply the yearly kWh by your price per kWh.

Measure with the freezer in its normal place and with normal use. A reading in a week when you add a lot of warm food is higher than a normal week.

For a year's estimate, repeat the measurement in another season.

How to check the cost at your own electricity price

Cost equals annual kWh multiplied by your price per kWh. The only thing that changes from one household to another is the price, so adjust that part to your bill.

The estimates in this guide use 15 and 25 cents per kWh. The price that matters is yours. The next sections show how to set it.

The cost of a freezer changes in proportion to the price.

Use your own rate

Your bill shows what you pay per kWh. The guide on your rate versus the state average explains which price to take from it. The median upright freezer costs $65.70 a year at 15 cents per kWh and $109.50 a year at 25 cents per kWh.

Your own rate is the more exact choice. It is on your bill, and the calculators accept it in cents per kWh.

When it differs from the state average, the result differs as well.

Compare with a refrigerator

A freezer comes on top of the refrigerator you already own, so its cost adds to the bill. For the typical refrigerator figures, see how much electricity a refrigerator uses, and for a small unit see how much electricity a mini fridge uses.

A freezer and a refrigerator use the same kind of cooling, but their figures differ. The median upright freezer uses 438 kWh a year, and the median refrigerator uses 347 kWh.

The freezer figure is higher on average, but the ranges overlap.

How to keep a freezer's running cost low

The most important choice is the model, because the annual kWh differs a lot between freezers of similar size. After that, simple habits keep a freezer close to its rated figure.

These points follow ENERGY STAR's statement that door openings, the room temperature and how full the freezer is change the energy use.

Frequently asked questions

These answers use the ENERGY STAR figures in this guide. They describe the median certified freezer of each type, so a particular unit can differ.

Each answer stands on its own, so you can jump to the one you need. The figures come from the tables above, and the method is described at the end of the guide.

Does a freezer use a lot of electricity?

A freezer runs all year, so its total is large even though its power is modest. The median upright freezer uses 438 kWh a year, more than the median refrigerator at 347 kWh. A compact freezer at the median uses 244 kWh.

A freezer uses more than many small appliances because it runs all year. Its total depends on the type and the size.

The cost depends on your price per kWh.

Which uses less, an upright or a chest freezer?

In the ENERGY STAR list, the nine certified chest freezers have a median of 218 kWh a year against 438 kWh for the median upright. The group of chest freezers is too small to generalize, so compare the exact models you are considering.

The ENERGY STAR list shows a lower median for chest freezers, but the group has only nine models. A small group can be unusual by chance.

The annual kWh of the exact models you consider is the safer basis.

How much does a freezer cost to run for 24 hours?

For the median upright freezer the energy in 24 hours is about 1.20 kWh on average. At 15 cents per kWh that costs $0.18, and at 25 cents per kWh it costs $0.30.

The figure is an average over a year. A freezer that has just been loaded with warm food, or one in a hot room, uses more on that day.

For a figure for your own unit, measure it for 24 hours.

Method

The data comes from the ENERGY STAR Certified Residential Freezers dataset (EPA), downloaded in October 2026. For each brand and model number only the newest listing is used: the dataset holds 673 listings, of which 655 are current.

Types are as published: upright freezer, chest freezer, and units flagged compact. Medians and ranges are computed from the annual energy and total volume values as published, with nothing estimated. Per-day and per-month figures are the annual figure divided by 365 and by 12, and costs are those kWh multiplied by the price shown. Freezers are not part of this site's model catalog, so there are no model pages for them.

Sources

Related guides

Each guide below uses the same official ENERGY STAR and EIA data, so the numbers agree from page to page.

Swipe, scroll or use the arrows to see more.