When it comes to power consumption and cost, the size of the freezer is usually the most important factor. Chest freezers come in four different sizes. For your convenience, I’ve listed them below, along with their capacity:
- 3 to 5 cubic feet is a small space.
- Small (about 5 to 9 cubic feet)
- 10 to 16 cubic feet is a medium size.
- Large (often 17 cubic feet or more)
Compact and small freezers with a capacity of 5 cubic feet can run on roughly 1 amp or 100 watts. They do, however, utilize about 6 amps or 700 watts during startup. The national average electricity usage will cost between $26 and $63 per year, or $2.16 per month, depending on the state and location.
You’ll need roughly 355 watts to operate a medium-sized chest freezer, which would cost you around $53 per year or just over $4 per month, depending on several factors such as your usage habits.
Electricity consumption for large chest freezers ranges from 380 to 400 watts. According to the Energy Start, these units can use roughly 980 kilowatt-hours per year, which equates to a $67 annual energy expenditure. When you divide it by 12 months, you get a monthly energy cost of just over $5.
A 5 cubic foot freezer consumes how many amps?
When running, a 5 cubic foot freezer will normally utilize less than 1 amp. A 5 cubic foot freezer will take roughly 4 to 5 amps when it first starts up.
Is it true that a freezer consumes a lot of electricity?
Freezers consume between 200 and 1,200 kWh of electricity each year, costing between $24 and $144 yearly (based on an average electricity cost of 12 cents per kWh). Your freezer’s energy consumption is determined by its size, age, and whether it’s a chest or upright freezer. Larger freezers (those with more than 15 cubic feet) consume more energy than smaller freezers, while upright freezers consume more energy than chest freezers. Freezers from before the year 2000 consume more energy than modern models.
Even if it’s a huge freezer, if it has the ENERGY STAR label, it will use less than 400 kWh per year and cost less than $5 per month to run.
Do chest freezers consume a lot of power?
Throughout the day, modern standup freezers utilize between 28.2W and 74.09W on average.
When all freezer types are combined, the average amount of watts used by an upright freezer is higher than the average.
How many watts does a chest freezer use
This is significantly more than the average number of watts used by chest freezers, which is 22.95W.
As you can see, chest freezers use fewer watts than upright freezers, according to this survey of 354 freezers.
See the definition of a deep freezer above to be sure we’re on the same page.
How many watts does a deep freezer use
The table below shows how many watts deep freezers consume on a daily basis.
Deep freezers consume fewer watts than chest freezers, as you can see. This is because we’ve added enormous compact chest freezers to the mix, which are also classified as deep freezers.
Before we look at how many watts small freezers use, it’s a good idea to review the freezer definitions above to make sure we’re all on the same page.
How many watts does a compact freezer use
The average wattage used by a compact chest freezer is 22.43W, which is lower than the average wattage used by a compact upright freezer, which is 29.9W.
Let’s look at how much electricity freezers use over extended periods of time in kilowatt-hours (kWh).
How much electricity does a freezer use (kWh)
On average, freezers use 365.2 kWh per year, 30.43 kWh per month, 1 kWh per day, and 0.042 kWh every hour.
Freezers use an average of 394 kWh per year, 32.83 kWh per month, 1.08 kWh per day, and 0.045 kWh per hour of power.
Freezers use between 137 and 649 kWh of electricity per year, 11.42 to 54.08 kWh per month, 0.38 to 1.78 kWh per day, and 0.016 to 0.074 kWh per hour.
The table above includes upright, chest, and compact freezers (and hence deep freezers).
How much electricity an upright freezer uses
On average, upright freezers use 445.5 kWh per year, 37.12 kWh per month, 1.22 kWh per day, and 0.051 kWh per hour.
The average amount of energy used by upright freezers is 394 kWh per year, 32.83 kWh per month, and 1.08 kWh per day.
Overall, upright freezers use between 247 and 649 kWh of electricity per year, 20.58 to 54.08 kWh per month, and 0.68 to 1.78 kWh each day.
The table below displays the annual, monthly, daily, and hourly electricity consumption of standup freezers.
Upright freezers require more watts than chest freezers, as we’ve already shown. Let’s look at how much the difference in kWh changes over time.
How much electricity a chest freezer uses
On average, chest freezers use 244 kWh of electricity per year, 20.33 kWh per month, 0.67 kWh per day, and 0.028 kWh per hour.
201 kWh, 16.75 kWh, 0.55 kWh, and 0.023 kWh are the most typical amounts of power consumed by chest freezers every year, month, day, and hour, respectively.
The table below shows how much power chest freezers use over different time periods.
Compact chest freezers have a different power consumption than regular chest freezers (more on compact freezers below). See the freezer definitions above for further information on how the freezers are classified.
As you can see, chest freezers consume significantly less electricity than upright freezers on average. And as time passes, the disparity grows more pronounced.
How much electricity a deep freezer uses
Deep freezers consume an average of 218.19 kWh per year, 18.18 kWh per month, 0.6 kWh per day, and 0.025 kWh per hour.
Overall, modern deep freezers consume between 172 and 346 kWh of electricity per year, 14.33 to 28.83 kWh per month, and 0.47 to 0.95 kWh each day.
Deep freezers use an average of 196 kWh each year, 16.33 kWh per month, 0.54 kWh per day, and 0.022 kWh every hour of power.
Deep freezers use a lot of electricity. The table below shows how much they use per year, month, day, and hour.
Because tiny chest freezers come into the deep freezer category, deep freezers utilize less electricity than regular sized chest freezers.
Next, since we’re on the subject of compact chest freezers, let’s have a look at the power consumption of compact chest freezers, as well as compact freezers in general.
How much electricity a compact freezer uses
Compact freezers use an average of 234.22 kWh of power each year. This equates to 19.52 kWh every month, 0.64 kWh per day, and 0.027 kWh each hour.
Compact freezers typically consume 240 kWh per year, 20 kWh per month, and 0.66 kWh per day of power.
The table below depicts how much electricity compact freezers consume over time.
The higher power consumption of upright compact freezers raises the average electricity consumption of compact freezers. Compact freezers, as a result, consume more electricity than chest and deep freezers.
When we compare the power usage of a compact chest and a compact upright over the course of a year, we can see that the difference is rather significant.
Compact chest freezers use an average of 196.49 kWh per year, 16.37 kWh per month, 0.54 kWh per day, and 0.022 kWh per hour.
Compact upright freezers use an average of 261.99 kWh per year, 21.83 kWh per month, 0.72 kWh per day, and 0.03 kWh per hour.
Compact upright freezers use more than 65 kWh of electricity per year on average than compact chest freezers.
According to this survey of 354 different refrigerators, compact chest freezers use the least amount of electricity on average.
But, before we get into which freezers consume the least amount of electricity, it’s important to put freezer power usage into context.
Do freezers use a lot of electricity
Freezers require a significant amount of electricity, however not as much as electrical guzzlers like showers, dryers, and heaters.
Let’s compare the average freezer power usage to the average consumption of other popular household appliances to get a sense of scale.
On average, freezers use 30.43 kWh of power each month. That’s the same as:
Is it possible to run a fridge on a 15-amp circuit?
For GE and Hotpoint Freezers, the electrical and breaker size requirements are as follows:
A 120 volt, individually grounded branch circuit with a 3 prong grounding type receptacle, protected by a 15 or 20 amp circuit breaker or time-delay fuse, is required for upright and chest freezers.
How much does it cost to run a freezer in terms of electricity?
A freezer costs $4.56 per month to operate, with an annual cost of $54.78 on average.
The most frequent freezer operating costs are $0.16 per day, $4.92 per month, and $59.10 per year.
The table below shows how much a freezer costs each hour, day, month, and year.
The type and efficiency of freezers have an impact on how much power they consume and, as a result, their operating expenses.
Check our Freezer Wattage Results for more information on freezer power consumption. Check read this post to make sure we’re all on the same page when it comes to freezer definitions (for example, what’s the difference between a chest freezer and a deep freezer?).
Let’s look at how much it costs to run the most energy efficient freezers on the market before we look at running costs by freezer type.
Cost to run the most energy efficient freezer
The most energy efficient freezer costs $4.33 per month to run. This equates to $0.14 per day, $0.006 per hour, and $51.90 annually.
This is a little less than the typical expense of keeping a freezer running. The GE FCM22DLWW, on the other hand, has a large 21.7 ft3 capacity.
This chest freezer is the most energy efficient freezer on the market, with the lowest power usage per cubic foot capacity.
Check it out (and get the most up-to-date prices) at Best Buy, Home Depot, or Lowe’s.
It’s worth mentioning that the smallest freezer that meets your demands and has the lowest power usage within that size range will usually be the most energy efficient model for you (if it’s ENERGY STAR certified). Source.
As previously stated, the type of freezer has an impact on operating costs. Because certain varieties are more energy efficient than others, this is the case.
Let’s look at the costs of running the most energy efficient freezer by type next.
Running costs of the most efficient freezers (by type)
The cost of running the most energy efficient chest, compact chest, deep, upright, and compact upright freezers is listed in the table below.
Freezers that use the least amount of electricity are also featured in these categories.
In a testing of 354 refrigerators, these freezers outperformed all other ENERGY STAR certified freezers.
But how do they stack up against the average annual operating costs of each freezer type?
Cost to run a chest freezer
A chest freezer costs $36.60 per year to operate. This equals $3.05 per month or $0.0042 per hour.
A modern chest freezer costs between $30.15 and $51.90 per year, $2.51 to $4.32 per month, and $0.08 to $0.14 per day to run.
The table below depicts the average, most common, highest, and lowest costs of operating a chest freezer over various time periods.
As previously stated, these expenditures are based on a $0.15 per kWh unit rate, which is the average in the United States.
“Because ‘deep freezer’ is a subjective phrase, make sure we’re on the same page by reading What Is A Deep Freezer.
How much does it cost to run a deep freezer
On average, it costs $32.73 per year, $2.73 per month, and $0.0038 per hour to run a deep freezer.
The most common deep freezer operating cost is lower than the national average for freezers.
Deep freezers typically cost $29.40 per year, $2.45 per month, $0.08 per day, and $0.0033 per hour to operate.
Overall, a deep freezer costs $25.80 to $51.90 per year, $2.15 to $4.32 per month, $0.07 to $0.14 per day, and $0.0030 to $0.0059 per hour.
Deep freezers have a lower operating cost than chest freezers. This is because huge compact chest freezers fall into this category, and because of their smaller size, they are less expensive to run.
Compact freezer running costs
On average, a compact freezer costs $35.13 per year, $0.096 per day, and $0.0041 per hour to run.
The table below illustrates the average, most common, highest, and lowest annual, monthly, daily, and hourly costs of running a compact freezer.
This is because compact freezers come in two varieties: compact chest and compact upright.
When we compare compact upright and compact chest freezers, we can see that the more power-hungry compact upright freezer type significantly raises the average.
The following are the operating expenses for compact upright and compact chest freezers:
- On average, compact upright freezers cost $39.30 per year to operate. This equals $3.27 every month, $1.11 per day, and $0.004 each hour.
- On average, compact chest freezers cost $29.47 per year to operate, which breaks down to $2.46 per month, $0.08 per day, and $0.003 per hour.
Compact upright freezers, with the exception of larger upright freezers, are more expensive to run.
Continue reading to view a table that ranks each freezer’s operating costs from lowest to highest.
How much does it cost to run an upright freezer
An upright freezer costs $66.83 per year, $5.57 per month, and $0.008 per hour to operate.
The most frequent operating costs for an upright freezer are $59.10 per year, $4.92 per month, $0.16 per day, and $0.007 per hour.
A modern upright freezer costs $37.05 to $97.35 per year, $3.09 to $8.11 per month, $0.10 to $0.27 per day, and $0.004 to $0.011 per hour to operate.
As a result, upright freezers and small upright freezers are the most expensive to operate.
Freezer running cost ranked by type
The average annual cost of operating various freezer types is shown in the table below, ranked from lowest to highest.
A deep freezer is the second most cost-effective form of freezer to operate, followed by larger chest freezers in third place.
Compact upright freezers are the fourth cheapest to operate and the second most expensive. Upright freezers, which are larger, are the most expensive to operate.
When compared to a compact chest freezer, an upright freezer costs twice as much to operate.
Cost to run by freezer brand
The average and lowest operating costs for freezers are listed in the table below per brand. The table is ordered from lowest to greatest annual average cost.
Avanti, on the other hand, makes the freezer with the lowest annual operating cost. You can find the model on Amazon or Walmart.
A different freezer type might be better suited to your needs, so don’t miss the part above under “Running costs of the most energy efficient freezers (by type)” where you’ll find links to the most energy efficient freezers by type.
Let’s put the costs of running a freezer into context now that we know how much it costs to run one.
Are freezers expensive to run
The average cost of running a freezer is $54.78 per year. Some may not perceive this to be costly. However, this is pricey when compared to the operating costs of other household equipment.
The cost of running a freezer on an annual basis is equal to:
Which model of freezer consumes the least amount of electricity?
Freezer Chest Chest freezers keep their frigid temperatures for a long time thanks to the built-in sidewall insulation and so consume the least amount of energy to operate.
Is it more cost-effective to run a full freezer?
When you open the freezer door, cold air escapes and warm air enters. The majority of the energy consumed by your freezer is used to cool the air that enters when you open the freezer door. When your freezer is packed, there is less space for warmer air to enter, and the goods inside assist to cool any air that does make its way in. As a result, keeping it full consumes less energy.
1. Newspaper: You can pack the internal regions of your freezer with newspaper by moving food items to the exterior edges.
2. Shipping peanuts bags: These take up a lot of space in mostly empty freezers and can be shaped to fit the spaces.
3. Water-filled ziplock bags: Not only will this save electricity, but you’ll also have ice on hand to keep your meals cold in the event of a power outage.
4. Water-filled reusable plastic to-go containers: These stack like building blocks, are easy to take in and out, and may be used to fill in small gaps in your packed fridge.
5. Water-filled milk jugs: If you’d rather reuse rather than recycle your milk jugs, this is a terrific way to do so.
How to Energy-Efficiently Fill Your Freezer
1. Clean and defrost your freezer.
2. Move any food products you have to the front and sides of the refrigerator so you can access them easily when you need them.
3. Choose a non-food object to fill the inside core cavity.
4. Leave enough room around the perimeter and on top of the freezer for the thermostat to sense the temperature.
Do you have a suggestion or a post idea for Planet Green? Please send an email to pgtips (at) treehugger (dot) com.
Is a freezer more energy efficient than a refrigerator?
Refrigerators with top-mounted freezers consume less energy than those with side-mounted or bottom-mounted freezers in general. On average, an ENERGY STAR certified top-freezer refrigerator needs 360 kWh or $45 per year to run.
A chest freezer consumes how many watts per hour?
Depending on the size and model year, a freezer consumes 300 to 700 watts. A 13 cubic foot frost-free freezer, for example, uses roughly 300 watts, whereas a 20 cubic foot chest freezer uses 350 watts. A freezer that is older will use more energy than one that is newer.
- Which method saves the most electricity? It’s impossible to say whether a freezer saves more energy than a refrigerator because it depends on how you use your appliance and the size of your freezer or refrigerator. In general, whichever serves you best will save you more electricity in the long run because it is the most appropriate size for the job.
- Where can you find a freezer’s wattage information? When you buy a freezer, refrigerator, or any other appliance, it will come with a power rating tag. There are estimates for its wattage and power consumption. Alternatively, you can look for the nameplate on your freezer. It’s stamped on the back or bottom of the freezer, and the maximum wattage output is displayed there.
- Is it true that a freezer always uses the watts stated on the label? The power consumption mentioned on a freezer’s label is not always used. Keep in mind that a freezer provides customization options like high, medium, and low cold. Others may even have temperature control capabilities. Your overall wattage and power consumption will be affected by the settings you select.
How much does it cost to keep a deep freezer running on a monthly basis?
Friends of mine have been hesitant to purchase a freezer because they are concerned about the recurring expense of electricity to power the freezer.
After all, it must be plugged in at all times!
Furthermore, appliances that heat or cool are considered to consume the most energy.
So, how much electricity does a deep freezer consume?
This information is readily available on the tag and in the sales documents if you purchase a new freezer, making comparisons a breeze.
You should be familiar with your power bill in order to understand what it really implies for you.
Do you have any idea how much a kilowatt hour costs in your area?
I decided to conduct some research so that I could provide you with some concrete figures.
First, I spent less than $20 on a Kill A Watt meter so that I could measure how much power my deep freezer was using (I’m also hoping to utilize the meter in some future postings about energy conservation).
