Refrigerator Cost to Run: Per Day, Month and Year

U.S. homes used an average of 839 kWh a year to run their refrigerators in 2020, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). At the U.S. average residential price of 18.16 cents per kWh for August 2026, that is about $152 a year, $12.70 a month or 42 cents a day. The main refrigerator accounts for most of it (about $112 a year); a second fridge averages about $90 a year and a separate freezer about $104.

A refrigerator never turns off, so its cost shows up on every bill. This guide shows the math by day, month and year, what a second fridge or freezer adds, how to read the EnergyGuide label, and when replacing an old unit pays. To find your own rate, see our electricity rates by state page.

The Formula

Cost = kWh used × your price per kWh

You pay for kilowatt-hours (kWh). A refrigerator’s compressor runs only part of the time, so you cannot simply multiply the wattage on its nameplate by 24 hours. The Department of Energy (DOE) suggests dividing the time a refrigerator is plugged in by three to estimate hours at full wattage. Our kW vs kWh explainer covers the difference between watts and kWh.

The simplest starting point is a yearly kWh figure: EIA’s survey average below, or the yellow EnergyGuide label on your model.

What an Average Home Pays

Assumptions: EIA Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) 2020, Table CE5.3b, average electricity use per household that has the appliance; U.S. average residential price of 18.16 cents per kWh for August 2026 (EIA Electric Power Monthly, released Oct. 23, 2026; preliminary).

The “all refrigerators” figure covers every refrigerator in the home, so in homes with a second fridge it includes both; that is why it is higher than the most-used refrigerator alone.

By region, EIA’s all-refrigerator averages were 743 kWh in the Northeast, 836 in the Midwest, 885 in the South and 840 in the West.

By Electric Rate

Same 839 kWh a year, using EIA’s August 2026 state averages:

Reading the EnergyGuide Label

New refrigerators carry a yellow EnergyGuide label with an estimated yearly electricity use. For example, Midea’s 18-cubic-foot top-freezer model MRT18S2AWW (automatic defrost, no through-the-door ice) is labeled at 362 kWh a year, which the label prices at $43 using “a national average electricity cost of 12 cents per kWh.” At August 2026’s 18.16 cents, the same 362 kWh costs about $65.74 a year, or $5.48 a month.

Labels come from a standard federal test, not your kitchen, so real use can be higher with a warm room, frequent door opening or dirty coils. The label also shows the cost range of similar models, which is the fairest comparison when shopping.

Old vs New: When Replacing Pays

EIA’s 617 kWh average for the most-used refrigerator is a mix of old and new units across U.S. homes. The Midea label above, at 362 kWh, is 255 kWh a year lower. At 18.16 cents that difference is about $46 a year, by our math. That compares one new model’s lab rating with a national average of all ages and sizes, so treat it as a rough guide, not a quote for your fridge.

Federal guidance points the same way:

• ENERGY STAR says certified refrigerators are “about 9 percent more energy efficient than models that meet the federal minimum energy efficiency standard.”
• ENERGY STAR says “Models with the freezer on top tend to use the least energy (versus bottom freezers or side-by-sides).”
• DOE’s Energy Saver says an older refrigerator uses “about 35% more energy” than an ENERGY STAR model, and advises against keeping one as a backup.
• ENERGY STAR puts lifetime savings from recycling an old fridge and buying a certified one at about $150 over 12 years; DOE’s page says new ENERGY STAR certified refrigerators “can save more than $220 over a 12-year lifetime.” Neither page states the electricity rate behind its figure.

The second-fridge question. A garage or basement fridge that EIA’s numbers put at 494 kWh a year costs about $90 a year at 18.16 cents, about $897 over 10 years at today’s price. If it mostly holds a few drinks, unplugging it saves that cost outright.

How to Cut the Cost

DOE’s Energy Saver lists these steps:

• Check the door seals and replace them if they are not airtight.
• Clean the coils “every six months to a year,” more often with shedding pets. DOE says dirty coils can raise energy costs “by as much as 35%.”
• Keep it away from heat, “away from direct sunlight and other heat sources such as ovens or ranges.”
• Size it right. DOE says the most efficient models are typically 16 to 20 cubic feet.

Refrigerators and Solar

The average home’s 839 kWh a year for refrigerators is about 8% of the 10,791 kWh the average U.S. home bought in 2022 (see how much electricity a house uses). At about 1,375 kWh of yearly output per kW of panels (our solar system size calculator’s national figure), that is about 0.6 kW of panels.

Because a fridge runs around the clock, rooftop panels alone do not keep it cold at night or in a grid outage. Grid-tied systems without a battery generally shut off when the grid goes down, so keeping a refrigerator running in an outage takes a battery or other backup. See solar panels and power outages and how to size a home battery.

Sources and verification

Limitations

EIA’s figures are 2020 averages for homes with each appliance; the 2024 survey’s consumption data are not out yet. Prices are state averages including all charges divided by kWh, not any utility’s tariff, and may not include sales taxes added to your bill. The old-versus-new comparison sets one new model’s label against a national average and is not a prediction for a specific refrigerator.