Enter your freezer's energy use and electricity rate to estimate its yearly running cost, plus average monthly and daily costs.
This is the estimated electricity cost for one year. It excludes purchase price, repairs, and fixed utility account charges.
This is the yearly cost divided by 12, not a forecast of each seasonal bill.
This is the energy amount used for every cost result.
Table of contents
How to use our Freezer Running Cost Calculator
- Choose the source that matches what you have in "How do you know the freezer's energy use?": "Energy label," "Meter test," or "Watts estimate."
- Check "Electricity rate ($ per kWh)." Replace the starting planning estimate with the usage-dependent rate from your electric bill when possible.
- For "Energy label," enter the yearly kWh figure from the freezer's EnergyGuide label, manual, or documentation. Do not enter the dollar estimate printed on the label.
- For "Meter test," enter the accumulated kWh shown by the plug-in meter and the full number of days covered by that reading.
- For "Watts estimate," enter the freezer's running power and its compressor on-time percentage. Use this method only when you do not have yearly kWh or a meter reading.
- Select "Calculate." "Estimated yearly freezer running cost" is the main answer. The other cards show the average monthly and daily cost plus the yearly kWh used.
- Read "Energy-use method applied" to confirm that the calculator used the information source you selected. Monthly and daily amounts are yearly averages, so they may not match every electric bill.
Definitions
kWh (kilowatt-hour): A unit of electrical energy. Electric utilities bill customers for kWh used.
EnergyGuide label: A yellow appliance label that includes estimated yearly energy use and an operating-cost comparison. Use its yearly kWh figure in this calculator. [2]
Meter test: An accumulated kWh reading measured over a known number of days. The calculator scales that reading to a 365-day year.
Compressor on-time: The percentage of time the compressor runs. An on-time of 35% means about 35 minutes of running in each 100 minutes.
Electricity rate: The usage-dependent price charged for each kWh. It is different from a fixed monthly utility customer charge.
Common mistakes and quick fixes
Mistake: Entering the dollar estimate on an EnergyGuide label as electricity use.
Fix: Enter the label's yearly kWh figure in "Estimated yearly electricity use (kWh/year)." The calculator applies your electricity rate to that energy amount.
Mistake: Treating running watts as power used all day and night.
Fix: In "Watts estimate," include "Compressor on-time (percent)." A meter test is usually a better choice when you have accumulated kWh.
Mistake: Using a meter reading without the matching test duration.
Fix: Enter the elapsed days from when the meter was reset or connected until you recorded its accumulated kWh.
Mistake: Including a fixed monthly customer charge in the electricity rate.
Fix: Use the usage-dependent $ per kWh charge. A fixed account charge usually does not change because one freezer uses more electricity.
Mistake: Treating the monthly result as a prediction for every month.
Fix: It is yearly cost divided by 12. Actual freezer use can change with room temperature, door openings, and food load.
Limitations & Key Assumptions / Boundary Conditions
- "Energy label" uses the listed yearly kWh estimate for the freezer model; actual home use can differ from label test conditions.
- "Meter test" assumes the measured days are typical of the rest of the year. A longer test can better capture normal cycling, door openings, and defrost behavior.
- "Watts estimate" depends on the compressor on-time entered. Running watts alone cannot show how often a freezer cycles.
- Room temperature, food load, door openings, seal condition, freezer age, and defrost behavior can change actual energy use.
- The calculator uses one electricity rate. For tiered or time-varying utility prices, enter a rate that best reflects the freezer's added electricity use.
- Fixed utility charges, freezer purchase price, repairs, and other household electricity use are not included.
Methodology
Yearly energy use
The calculator uses the method selected in "How do you know the freezer's energy use?" "Energy label" uses the entered yearly kWh directly. "Meter test" turns measured kWh over a known test length into a yearly estimate. "Watts estimate" converts running watts to kilowatts and adjusts for compressor on-time.
yearly kWh = label yearly kWh
yearly kWh = meter kWh x 365 / meter test days
yearly kWh = running watts / 1000 x 24 x 365 x compressor on-time / 100
Running cost
The calculator multiplies yearly kWh by the electricity rate. It divides the unrounded yearly cost by 12 for the monthly average and by 365 for the daily average.
yearly cost = yearly kWh x electricity rate
monthly cost = yearly cost / 12
daily cost = yearly cost / 365
Worked example
A freezer using 400 kWh/year at $0.173 per kWh has an estimated yearly running cost of $69.20. Its average monthly cost is $5.77, and its average daily cost is $0.19.
The starting electricity rate of $0.173 per kWh is a 2025 US residential planning estimate from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Replace it with the usage-dependent rate from your own bill. [1]