Refrigerator electricity use: kWh, watts and cost by style
The median certified full-size refrigerator uses 465 kWh a year. Pick a style and a size: the tool gives the median, the range and the cost in your state.
Example: the middle top-freezer refrigerator, 15 to 20 cu ft at the U.S. average price — change any figure to see your own result
Typical certified model, cost a year
$66
366 kWh a year at the U.S. average price, 18.16¢ per kWh in August 2026
| Per month | $5.54 |
| Average power draw, day and night | 42 watts |
| Certified models compared | 350, from 333 to 463 kWh |
| Cost range among them | $60 to $84 a year |
| Federal maximum for the middle model | 409 kWh a year |
kWh from the Department of Energy test (closed doors, set temperatures). Your kitchen, settings and door openings change it.
Compiled by Radif Partners · How the figures are built
Refrigerator electricity use is published model by model: every certified refrigerator on the ENERGY STAR list has a yearly kWh measured under the Department of Energy test, the same figure printed on the yellow EnergyGuide label. Across 2,700 full-size certified models on the list of November 12, 2026, the median is 465 kWh a year, from 124 to 805. Spread over the 8,760 hours of a year, the median is an average draw of 53 watts. That answers the question of how many watts a refrigerator uses better than a nameplate, because the compressor cycles on and off. Style matters most. A top-freezer model uses a median 363 kWh and a side-by-side 642. At the U.S. average home price of 18.16 cents per kWh in August 2026, the median full-size model costs $84 a year, about $7.04 a month. The same model costs $219 a year in Hawaii and $59 in Nevada.
Refrigerator electricity use by style
The table gives the median yearly kWh, the average watts and the yearly cost at the U.S. average price for each style on the certified list. The spread inside a style is wide, which is why the tool asks for the size as well.
| Style | Models | Typical kWh a year | Average watts | Cost a year | Cost a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top freezer | 751 | 363 | 41 | $66 | $5.49 |
| Bottom freezer and French door | 1,539 | 563 | 64 | $102 | $8.52 |
| Side-by-side | 128 | 642 | 73 | $116 | $9.71 |
| No freezer | 282 | 289 | 33 | $52 | $4.37 |
| Compact | 1,720 | 246 | 28 | $45 | $3.72 |
Certified against the federal maximum
Every refrigerator sold in the United States must stay under a federal maximum for its product class, set by an equation in its adjusted volume (Department of Energy rules). ENERGY STAR certification requires going further. For the certified full-size models on the list, the median model uses 10% less than its federal maximum. A refrigerator that only meets the minimum, which is not on this list, uses more than the figures on this page; an old refrigerator built before the current standards uses more still.
Your refrigerator: enter the kWh on its label
Example with typical figures — change any figure to see your own result
Your model, running cost a year
$73
400 kWh a year at the U.S. average price, 18.16¢ per kWh in August 2026
| Per month | $6.05 |
| Average power draw, day and night | 46 watts |
| Certified models compared | 350, from 333 to 463 kWh |
| Cost range among them | $60 to $84 a year |
Why your real use can differ from the label
The test runs the refrigerator in a room held at a fixed temperature, with the doors closed and the controls at set positions. At home, the room may be warmer, the doors open dozens of times a day, warm food goes in, and the thermostat may be colder than needed. A refrigerator in a hot garage works much harder than in a kitchen. Leave space behind it for air, keep the door gaskets clean and closing, and the real figure stays close to the label.
The price of a kWh decides the bill
The same refrigerator costs 3.7 times more to run in the dearest state than in the cheapest. In August 2026 homes paid 47.18 cents per kWh in Hawaii and 12.72 cents in Nevada, according to the EIA. The state comparison lists all of them. To compare models before buying, multiply the difference in yearly kWh by your price: 100 kWh a year is worth $18 at the U.S. average. Sizes and fit are on the width pages, starting with the 30 inch class.