How Much Electricity Does a Freezer Use?

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Freezers and refrigerators have become an essential part of our household. They have helped us stock up on food without worrying about them getting spoiled quickly. They have provided us with cool beverages and kept our ice creams frozen, especially during the summer season when you just want an ice-cold glass of water or juice to escape the scorching heat of the sun.

But they can also be one of the appliances in the household that has a big energy consumption. In this article, we’ll tackle some basic questions to help you pick the right freezer or refrigerator for you (if you are looking) such as how much it costs to run a freezer or how much electricity a freezer uses per day.

How Many Watts Does a Freezer Use?

It depends on the model you have. Old models can have a higher energy consumption, unlike their modern counterparts which can consume between 200 and 300 kWh yearly on average. For a monthly and daily breakdown of how many watts a freezer uses, here’s the formula

For daily consumption, the formula is:

Daily Consumption (Wh) = Wattage (W) X hours run per day (h). 

Check your freezer’s manual to get its wattage used.

To get the monthly consumption:

Monthly Consumption (Wh) = Daily Consumption (Wh) X 30/31 days

Different Kinds of Freezers

Freezers come in different types and sizes depending on your needs. Provided below are four kinds to look at:

• Drawer Freezers - are commonly found in gourmet or larger kitchens for convenience. Many of them are cabinet height for easy cabinet installment.
  
  
• Chest Freezers - are the most economical on the list. It comes in various sizes from 2.1 cubic feet to 40 cubic feet. Commonly placed in the garage or basement because of its size. It doesn’t have a fan so air circulation is limited.
  
  
• Portable Freezers - have made it easy to transport foods without having to worry about food spoilage. You also don’t have to worry about filling it with ice unlike with coolers.
  
  
• Upright Freezers - are commonly auto-defrosting for easy maintenance. Unlike its other counterparts where you have to bend to dig through your food stock, upright freezers are refrigerator-like.  

How Much Does it Cost to Run a Freezer?

As per Ecocostsavings, it can cost you $54.78 per year to run a freezer on average. This is about $4.56 monthly, $0.15 daily, and $0.006 hourly. This, of course, depends on the type of freezer you’re using. On average, it can cost between $30 to $70 per year.

Provided below is a table to see how much it can cost you to run a freezer:

Source: https://ecocostsavings.com/cost-to-run-a-freezer/

But if you have seen a freezer with an ENERGY STAR, then that’s a good sign to keep in mind. It means that it is an ENERGY STAR-certified freezer and is likely to be 10% more energy efficient compared to the federal standard. For example, a certified chest freezer uses 215 kWh of electricity which is about $30 annually.

The Three Phases of Freezer Energy Consumption

You can see the freezer’s power consumption on its nameplate. But that is only achieved when it has reached its functioning peak since it goes through at least 3 phases. These phases are:

• Idle/Standby - 0-50 watts (power consumption)
• Start- up - 150 - 200 watts (power consumption)
• Active cooling - 60 - 100 watts (power consumption)

Once the freezer has reached its optimum temperature, it lowers its energy consumption as the fan motor, compressor, and condenser motor need no power. 

External factors that affect your freezer’s energy consumption are your location’s temperature and your freezer’s model. 

If you’re living in a hotter area, the freezer needs to pump more energy to keep things inside cold. Older models have a higher active cooling and start-up wattage which is 100-300 watts, and 300-800 watts, respectively.

Can Nature’s Generators run a freezer?

The answer is “YES,”

Nature Generator’s line of generators can keep a mini fridge and a refrigerator running for hours during a blackout. For emergency backup or for camping our Lithium 1800 is a perfect fit to run your freezer for 24-48 hrs.  For longer power outages or off-grid solution, Nature’s Generator Powerhouse is a good choice as it can power a mini fridge for 80-120 hours and a refrigerator for 50-80 hours.

If you want to know more about Nature’s Generator for your freezer needs just give us a shout and we’ll assist you further.

In Summary

Freezers have become an integral part of our households. It has become one of the top priority appliances to get when moving to a new home as it keeps our food fresh and our waters cool. 

On average, your yearly freezer consumption can cost between $30 to $70 on the kind of freezer you use and where your location’s kWh. 

Modern freezers are more energy efficient but you may look at ENERGY STAR certified for 10% more energy efficiency.

* We want to give credit where credit is due. Professional writer, Cris Ilao, contributed research and content to this blog titled: How Much Electricity Does a Freezer Use? Thank you, Cris, for your contributions!