What a freezer
costs to run
Meter reading
per year
412 kWh certified × 19.41¢ per kWh ÷ 100 — median of 652 listed models
Default: US residential average, 19.41¢ per kWh, EIA JUL 2026. Overwrite it with your own rate, or pick your state below.
SOURCE·ENERGY STAR certified product data·tariff US residential average 19.41¢ — EIA Electric Power Monthly, retrieved 2026-07-28·REVIEWED JUL 2026
$79.97 a year A typical ENERGY STAR certified freezer uses 412 kWh a year, which at the US average residential price of 19.41¢ per kWh is $79.97 a year.
That is the national figure, and nobody is billed at a national figure: the same appliance costs $50.88 a year in Idaho and $214.24 in Hawaii.
How this is worked out
- Take the certified annual consumption for the appliance class off the EPA's ENERGY STAR register — the median of every listed model, not a wattage anyone assumed.
- Take the residential tariff off the EIA's Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A. Here that is the US residential average, 19.41¢ per kWh.
- Multiply, then divide by 100 to come out of cents. Nothing is rounded before this line.
- Derive the rest of the schedule from that one figure: ÷ 12 monthly, ÷ 365 daily, × 10 for a ten-year life.
- Overwrite the tariff terminal with the rate printed on your own bill and the register re-reads. The certified consumption does not move — that is the half of the sum nobody gets to opinion their way out of.
annual cost ($) = certified kWh per year × tariff ¢ per kWh ÷ 100
Every certified model, cheapest to run first
Priced at the US average of 19.41¢/kWh. Nothing on this list is promoted or buried — it is the certified consumption in order.
| # | Model | kWh/yr | Cost/yr | vs typical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Avanti CF24Q0W · Compact | 137 | $26.59 | saves $53.38 |
| 2 | Liebherr UF3651 · Compact | 155 | $30.09 | saves $49.88 |
| 3 | EPIC ECF36W-1 · Compact | 167 | $32.41 | saves $47.55 |
| 4 | Marathon MCF36W-1 · Compact | 167 | $32.41 | saves $47.55 |
| 5 | Kalamera KCF-100E · Compact | 172 | $33.39 | saves $46.58 |
| 6 | Marathon MCF35W-1 · Compact | 172 | $33.39 | saves $46.58 |
| 7 | Danby DCF035A5WDB · Compact | 173 | $33.58 | saves $46.39 |
| 8 | Arctic King AC35ESKCR1RCM · Compact | 174 | $33.77 | saves $46.20 |
| 9 | Arctic King ARC04B2C** · Compact | 174 | $33.77 | saves $46.20 |
| 10 | Master Chef 043-0292-2 · Compact | 174 | $33.77 | saves $46.20 |
| 11 | Midea MRC04M3C** · Compact | 174 | $33.77 | saves $46.20 |
| 12 | OMNImax 3730-922 · Compact | 174 | $33.77 | saves $46.20 |
| 13 | EPIC ECF50W-1 · Compact | 184 | $35.71 | saves $44.25 |
| 14 | Marathon MCF50W-1 · Compact | 184 | $35.71 | saves $44.25 |
| 15 | Cool-living CL-5UFR · Compact | 195 | $37.85 | saves $42.12 |
| 16 | Danby DCF050A5WDB · Compact | 195 | $37.85 | saves $42.12 |
| 17 | Marathon MCF51W-1 · Compact | 195 | $37.85 | saves $42.12 |
| 18 | Arctic King AC05ESWCR1RCM · Compact | 196 | $38.04 | saves $41.93 |
| 19 | Arctic King ARC05B2C** · Compact | 196 | $38.04 | saves $41.93 |
| 20 | Frigidaire FFCS0562AW · Compact | 196 | $38.04 | saves $41.93 |
| 21 | Galanz GLF50*E* · Compact | 196 | $38.04 | saves $41.93 |
| 22 | L2 LRC05M2AWWC · Compact | 196 | $38.04 | saves $41.93 |
| 23 | L2 LRC05M3A** · Compact | 196 | $38.04 | saves $41.93 |
| 24 | Master Chef 043-0293-0 · Compact | 196 | $38.04 | saves $41.93 |
| 25 | Whirlpool WZC3209LW · Chest Freezer | 201 | $39.01 | saves $40.96 |
SOURCE·ENERGY STAR certified product data·652 certified freezers on the register, listed by certified consumption·REVIEWED JUL 2026
The same freezer on 51 tariffs
| State | Price per kWh | Cost per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 52.00¢ | $214.24 | $17.85 |
| California | 33.25¢ | $136.99 | $11.42 |
| New York | 29.93¢ | $123.31 | $10.28 |
| Rhode Island | 29.46¢ | $121.38 | $10.11 |
| Massachusetts | 28.82¢ | $118.74 | $9.89 |
| Maine | 28.63¢ | $117.96 | $9.83 |
| Alaska | 28.23¢ | $116.31 | $9.69 |
| Connecticut | 27.37¢ | $112.76 | $9.40 |
| New Hampshire | 27.33¢ | $112.60 | $9.38 |
| District of Columbia | 25.40¢ | $104.65 | $8.72 |
| Vermont | 24.89¢ | $102.55 | $8.55 |
| Illinois | 23.85¢ | $98.26 | $8.19 |
| New Jersey | 23.27¢ | $95.87 | $7.99 |
| Michigan | 22.01¢ | $90.68 | $7.56 |
| Maryland | 21.77¢ | $89.69 | $7.47 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.55¢ | $88.79 | $7.40 |
| Wisconsin | 19.74¢ | $81.33 | $6.78 |
| Ohio | 19.52¢ | $80.42 | $6.70 |
| Delaware | 19.38¢ | $79.85 | $6.65 |
| Indiana | 18.15¢ | $74.78 | $6.23 |
| Virginia | 17.61¢ | $72.55 | $6.05 |
| Minnesota | 16.95¢ | $69.83 | $5.82 |
| West Virginia | 16.80¢ | $69.22 | $5.77 |
| Alabama | 16.77¢ | $69.09 | $5.76 |
| Texas | 16.44¢ | $67.73 | $5.64 |
| Oregon | 16.27¢ | $67.03 | $5.59 |
| South Carolina | 16.18¢ | $66.66 | $5.56 |
| Colorado | 16.16¢ | $66.58 | $5.55 |
| Mississippi | 16.16¢ | $66.58 | $5.55 |
| Georgia | 15.84¢ | $65.26 | $5.44 |
| South Dakota | 15.73¢ | $64.81 | $5.40 |
| Arizona | 15.23¢ | $62.75 | $5.23 |
| Florida | 15.17¢ | $62.50 | $5.21 |
| Kansas | 15.13¢ | $62.34 | $5.19 |
| North Carolina | 15.09¢ | $62.17 | $5.18 |
| Kentucky | 14.98¢ | $61.72 | $5.14 |
| Washington | 14.95¢ | $61.59 | $5.13 |
| Wyoming | 14.80¢ | $60.98 | $5.08 |
| Montana | 14.67¢ | $60.44 | $5.04 |
| Tennessee | 14.47¢ | $59.62 | $4.97 |
| Arkansas | 14.36¢ | $59.16 | $4.93 |
| Louisiana | 14.15¢ | $58.30 | $4.86 |
| Iowa | 14.14¢ | $58.26 | $4.85 |
| New Mexico | 14.12¢ | $58.17 | $4.85 |
| Missouri | 13.68¢ | $56.36 | $4.70 |
| North Dakota | 13.61¢ | $56.07 | $4.67 |
| Nevada | 13.60¢ | $56.03 | $4.67 |
| Nebraska | 13.59¢ | $55.99 | $4.67 |
| Oklahoma | 13.38¢ | $55.13 | $4.59 |
| Utah | 12.96¢ | $53.40 | $4.45 |
| Idaho | 12.35¢ | $50.88 | $4.24 |
One certified freezer at the median consumption of 412 kWh a year, wired to 51 different tariffs. Same appliance, same duty cycle, same certification — only the tariff changes.
SOURCE·US EIA Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A·retrieved 2026-07-28·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Schedule notes
How much does it cost to run a freezer?
About $79.97 a year at the US average residential price of 19.41¢ per kWh, for a typical ENERGY STAR certified freezer using 412 kWh annually. Your own tariff decides the rest — put it into the terminal beside the register and the figure re-reads.
Which freezers are cheapest to run?
The certified list runs from 137 to 649 kWh a year across 652 models, so at the US average the best costs $26.59 a year to run and the worst $125.97. The full ranking is on this page, in certified order, with nothing promoted.
Does the state I live in change the answer?
Considerably. The same freezer costs $50.88 a year in Idaho at 12.35¢ and $214.24 in Hawaii at 52.00¢. Every state is listed on this page.
