Estimate what a second refrigerator adds to your electric bill and the cost avoided by unplugging it for a chosen time.
Table of contents
How to use our Second Refrigerator Energy Cost Calculator
- Choose how you know the electricity use: use the EnergyGuide label or a plug-in meter reading.
- Enter the visible electricity-use number for your choice. For a meter, enter both Electricity used on the meter and Days measured.
- Enter Electricity price from your bill in dollars per kWh, then enter Time kept unplugged.
- Click Calculate to see the annual, monthly, and daily cost of keeping the second refrigerator plugged in.
- Sanity-check the estimated yearly kWh against the label or your meter test. If the test was short or unusual, measure for longer before using the multi-year comparison.
Definitions
EnergyGuide electricity use: The refrigerator's estimated electricity use for one year, shown in kWh on its EnergyGuide label.
kWh (kilowatt-hour): A unit of electricity use. Electric bills commonly charge a price for each kWh used.
Electricity price: The cost charged for one kWh of electricity, entered in dollars per kWh.
Estimated electricity use in one year: Yearly kWh used in the cost calculation. With a meter reading, the calculator extends the measured daily average to 365 days.
Cost avoided by unplugging for the chosen time: The estimated electricity spending avoided when the second refrigerator stays unplugged for the entered number of years.
Common mistakes and quick fixes
Mistake: Entering the total electric bill as Electricity price.
Fix: Enter only the price per kWh from the bill, such as 0.16 for 16 cents per kWh.
Mistake: Using a meter reading without entering the matching Days measured.
Fix: Enter the number of full days covered by Electricity used on the meter.
Mistake: Entering watts or dollars in EnergyGuide electricity use.
Fix: Enter the yearly kWh number printed on the EnergyGuide label.
Mistake: Using a short, unusual meter test to judge Estimated electricity use in one year.
Fix: Measure during typical use for more days when possible, especially if the room was unusually hot or the door was opened often.
Mistake: Treating Cost avoided by unplugging for the chosen time as money received from the utility.
Fix: Read it as electricity spending avoided while the refrigerator remains unplugged for Time kept unplugged.
Limitations & Key Assumptions / Boundary Conditions
- The calculation covers refrigerator electricity only. It excludes food storage, repairs, moving, recycling, disposal, and replacement costs.
- The unplugged comparison treats operating electricity cost as $0. It does not estimate any cost of storing food elsewhere.
- An EnergyGuide value is an annual estimate. Actual use can change with room temperature, thermostat setting, door openings, refrigerator condition, and how full it is.
- A meter reading is extended from its measured days to a 365-day year. A short test may miss seasonal changes or unusual use.
- The electricity price is held constant for the entire Time kept unplugged. Actual rates can vary by utility plan, time of use, and future bill changes.
Methodology
Calculation method
The calculator first finds yearly electricity use from the source you chose. EnergyGuide mode uses the entered yearly kWh directly. Meter mode finds average daily use, then extends it to 365 days.
annual_energy_kwh = annual_kwh
annual_energy_kwh = (meter_kwh / meter_days) * 365
It multiplies yearly kWh by the entered electricity price to find the added yearly operating cost.
annual_second_fridge_cost = annual_energy_kwh * electricity_rate
The keep-versus-unplug comparison assumes an unplugged refrigerator uses no operating electricity. It multiplies the yearly cost by the entered time.
cost_avoided_horizon = annual_second_fridge_cost * comparison_years
Monthly and daily figures are averages based on 12 months and 365 days.
monthly_second_fridge_cost = annual_second_fridge_cost / 12
daily_second_fridge_cost = annual_second_fridge_cost / 365
Worked example
If the EnergyGuide label says 500 kWh per year and electricity costs $0.16 per kWh, the annual cost is $80. Keeping it unplugged for 5 years avoids an estimated $400 in electricity cost.
Assumptions and limits
The calculation keeps the entered electricity price and annual use constant. Actual electric rates can differ by location, billing plan, and time of use, and actual refrigerator use can differ from a label value or a short meter test. [1]