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.
What is the energy consumption of a small upright freezer?
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 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.
How much does it cost to keep a small freezer running on a monthly basis?
According to EnergyStar.gov, an energy-efficient large freezer with more than 25 cubic feet uses roughly 956 kilowatt-hours per year. This works out to roughly $10 each month. Your costs will be lower if you reduce the size of your freezer. The standard freezer size ranges from 19 to 22 cubic feet. The average annual cost of these units is $67, or just over $5 per month.
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.
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.
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How much power does a tiny fridge consume?
A mini-fridge works similarly to a traditional refrigerator in that it is constantly running to maintain a consistent temperature. It’s not like your phone or laptop; when you turn them off, they stop working. Understanding how it works will assist you in choose the appropriate model that will keep your beverages fresh while saving you money.
How Much Electricity Does A Mini Fridge Use?
Models, sizes, materials, and insulation levels all influence actual energy use. When turned on, a mini-fridge consumes between 55 and 85 watts per hour. It’s worth noting that the figures on different models, especially if they’re from different companies, may differ.
A mini-power fridge’s consumption is measured in watts, which must be translated to kilowatt-hours (kWh) to determine how much you must pay your account. Room temperature, interior temperature settings, how often you open the door, whether or not your refrigerator is full, and other factors all influence your energy consumption.
Is it better to have a freezer that is full or one that is empty?
Freezing food is a necessary and simple kitchen function, but it is not without its flaws. Remember these blunders the next time you think to yourself, “Oh, I’ll simply throw this in the freezer.”
1. Excessively high temperature
The optimal temperature for long-term frozen food preservation is zero degrees (or even lower), therefore set your freezer as low as it will go. If your ice cream becomes too difficult to scoop, keep it near the door, where the temperature will be the highest.
2. Keeping the freezer as close to empty as possible
A full freezer keeps the cold longer than one that is empty. When you open the door, the frozen food will help maintain the cold inside, and the unit will not have to work as hard to chill the empty space. However, don’t overcrowd the freezer; it needs to breathe.
3. Not firmly wrapping food
Make sure to eliminate air by smoothing the wrap over the food, whether you’re using zipper-top freezer bags, aluminum foil, or heavy-duty plastic wrap. If you’re storing leftovers in storage containers, fill them almost to the brim to avoid freezer burn (but give food enough room to expand as it freezes). If you don’t use all of the frozen waffles, hot dogs, or chicken nuggets in the package, place the rest into a firmly sealed bag or container.
4. Leaving food in the freezer for too long
Even frozen goods will lose their flavor and texture over time, so mark dates on bags and containers (check foodsafety.gov for how long certain items will last in the freezer). Consider rotating objects so that the oldest are always in the front and are the first to be grabbed.
Small or irregularly shaped goods, such as fruit bags, bagels, and Parmesan rinds, are easily corralled in a store-bought bin.
6. Freezing a large clump of food
Small products, such as strawberries, hamburgers, and cookies, should be placed on a baking sheet and allowed to harden before being tossed into a bag or container. Then they won’t stick together and you’ll be able to grab one at a time.
7. Taking an excessive amount of time to freeze
While freezing food will keep it fresh, it will not bring it back to life. Beef that was ground the day before it was frozen will taste fresher than meat that was frozen many days ago. Similarly, muffins that are frozen immediately after baking have a superior flavor than those that are frozen later.
8. Allowing to defrost at room temperature
Bacteria may form on the surfaces of meats, poultry, and shellfish that are thawed on the counter before they are totally defrosted. Instead, thaw in the refrigerator or microwave.
9. During a power outage, open the freezer.
Keep the freezer closed when the power goes out to keep food frozen for as long as possible. Whatever is still frozen when the power is restored can be kept in the freezer. Any defrosted (but still freezing cold) products should be cooked and consumed as soon as possible. Toss if you’re unsure.