Running a refrigerator
in Michigan
Meter reading
per year
344 kWh certified × 22.01¢ per kWh ÷ 100 — median of 4,469 listed models
Default: Michigan residential average, 22.01¢ per kWh, EIA JUL 2026. Overwrite it with the rate printed on your own bill.
SOURCE·ENERGY STAR certified product data·tariff Michigan residential average 22.01¢ — EIA Electric Power Monthly, retrieved 2026-07-28·REVIEWED JUL 2026
$75.71 a year A typical ENERGY STAR certified refrigerator uses 344 kWh a year. At Michigan's average residential price of 22.01¢ per kWh, that is $75.71 a year, or $6.31 a month.
The tariff scales the whole rail; the model you buy is what moves the gate along it. The most efficient certified refrigerator on this tariff draws $9.24 a year, the least efficient $177.18 — a standing difference of $167.94 a year for an appliance doing the same job.
How this is worked out
- Take the certified annual consumption for the appliance class off the EPA's ENERGY STAR register — the median of every listed model, not a wattage anyone assumed.
- Take the residential tariff off the EIA's Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A. Here that is Michigan's residential average, 22.01¢ per kWh.
- Multiply, then divide by 100 to come out of cents. Nothing is rounded before this line.
- Derive the rest of the schedule from that one figure: ÷ 12 monthly, ÷ 365 daily, × 10 for a ten-year life.
- Overwrite the tariff terminal with the rate printed on your own bill and the register re-reads. The certified consumption does not move — that is the half of the sum nobody gets to opinion their way out of.
annual cost ($) = certified kWh per year × tariff ¢ per kWh ÷ 100
Every certified refrigerator, cheapest to run first
The register above reads the median. This is the whole list it was taken from, priced at Michigan's tariff. Running cost only — purchase price, capacity and repair record are not in this column, and a cheap-to-run model is not automatically the right buy.
| # | Model | kWh/yr | Cost/yr | vs typical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fisher & Paykel RS2435V2* · Compact Cooler | 42 | $9.24 | saves $66.47 |
| 2 | Fisher & Paykel RS2435V2*T* · Compact Cooler | 52 | $11.45 | saves $64.27 |
| 3 | SMEG Spa CVIU121 · Compact Cooler | 88 | $19.37 | saves $56.35 |
| 4 | Dacor DRW24G7500** · Compact Cooler | 95 | $20.91 | saves $54.80 |
| 5 | Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet UKS15W*1-5-**** · Compact Cooler | 99 | $21.79 | saves $53.92 |
| 6 | Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet UKS24W*1-5-**** · Compact Cooler | 99 | $21.79 | saves $53.92 |
| 7 | Perlick URA24W*1-5-**** · Compact Cooler | 99 | $21.79 | saves $53.92 |
| 8 | Perlick URC24W*1-5-**** · Compact Cooler | 99 | $21.79 | saves $53.92 |
| 9 | Perlick URD24W*1-5-**** · Compact Cooler | 99 | $21.79 | saves $53.92 |
| 10 | Perlick URS15W*1-5-**** · Compact Cooler | 99 | $21.79 | saves $53.92 |
| 11 | Perlick URS24W*1-5-**** · Compact Cooler | 99 | $21.79 | saves $53.92 |
| 12 | Gaggenau RW204770 · Compact Cooler | 100 | $22.01 | saves $53.70 |
| 13 | Liebherr UW3710 · Compact Cooler | 100 | $22.01 | saves $53.70 |
| 14 | Liebherr UW3720 · Compact Cooler | 100 | $22.01 | saves $53.70 |
| 15 | Miele KWTUS 7172 F · Compact Cooler | 100 | $22.01 | saves $53.70 |
| 16 | Signature Kitchen Suite SKSUW2401* · Compact Cooler | 100 | $22.01 | saves $53.70 |
| 17 | SKS SKSUW2401* · Compact Cooler | 100 | $22.01 | saves $53.70 |
| 18 | Smeg SBIWU320XE · Compact Cooler | 100 | $22.01 | saves $53.70 |
| 19 | Liebherr HWgb 1803 · Compact Cooler | 105 | $23.11 | saves $52.60 |
| 20 | DOMETIC C40S1 · Compact Refrigerator | 106 | $23.33 | saves $52.38 |
SOURCE·ENERGY STAR certified product data·4,469 certified refrigerators on the register, listed by certified consumption·REVIEWED JUL 2026
What the certification spread is worth on this tariff
| Certified models in this category | 4,469 |
|---|---|
| Lowest certified energy use | 42 kWh/yr — $9.24/yr |
| Median certified energy use | 344 kWh/yr — $75.71/yr |
| Highest certified energy use | 805 kWh/yr — $177.18/yr |
| Difference, best to worst | $167.94 a year |
| …over a 10-year life | $1679.36 |
SOURCE·ENERGY STAR certified product data·priced at Michigan's residential average, 22.01¢ per kWh·REVIEWED JUL 2026
The same refrigerator on 51 tariffs
| State | Price per kWh | Cost per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 52.00¢ | $178.88 | $14.91 |
| California | 33.25¢ | $114.38 | $9.53 |
| New York | 29.93¢ | $102.96 | $8.58 |
| Rhode Island | 29.46¢ | $101.34 | $8.45 |
| Massachusetts | 28.82¢ | $99.14 | $8.26 |
| Maine | 28.63¢ | $98.49 | $8.21 |
| Alaska | 28.23¢ | $97.11 | $8.09 |
| Connecticut | 27.37¢ | $94.15 | $7.85 |
| New Hampshire | 27.33¢ | $94.02 | $7.83 |
| District of Columbia | 25.40¢ | $87.38 | $7.28 |
| Vermont | 24.89¢ | $85.62 | $7.14 |
| Illinois | 23.85¢ | $82.04 | $6.84 |
| New Jersey | 23.27¢ | $80.05 | $6.67 |
| Michigan | 22.01¢ | $75.71 | $6.31 |
| Maryland | 21.77¢ | $74.89 | $6.24 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.55¢ | $74.13 | $6.18 |
| Wisconsin | 19.74¢ | $67.91 | $5.66 |
| Ohio | 19.52¢ | $67.15 | $5.60 |
| Delaware | 19.38¢ | $66.67 | $5.56 |
| Indiana | 18.15¢ | $62.44 | $5.20 |
| Virginia | 17.61¢ | $60.58 | $5.05 |
| Minnesota | 16.95¢ | $58.31 | $4.86 |
| West Virginia | 16.80¢ | $57.79 | $4.82 |
| Alabama | 16.77¢ | $57.69 | $4.81 |
| Texas | 16.44¢ | $56.55 | $4.71 |
| Oregon | 16.27¢ | $55.97 | $4.66 |
| South Carolina | 16.18¢ | $55.66 | $4.64 |
| Colorado | 16.16¢ | $55.59 | $4.63 |
| Mississippi | 16.16¢ | $55.59 | $4.63 |
| Georgia | 15.84¢ | $54.49 | $4.54 |
| South Dakota | 15.73¢ | $54.11 | $4.51 |
| Arizona | 15.23¢ | $52.39 | $4.37 |
| Florida | 15.17¢ | $52.18 | $4.35 |
| Kansas | 15.13¢ | $52.05 | $4.34 |
| North Carolina | 15.09¢ | $51.91 | $4.33 |
| Kentucky | 14.98¢ | $51.53 | $4.29 |
| Washington | 14.95¢ | $51.43 | $4.29 |
| Wyoming | 14.80¢ | $50.91 | $4.24 |
| Montana | 14.67¢ | $50.46 | $4.21 |
| Tennessee | 14.47¢ | $49.78 | $4.15 |
| Arkansas | 14.36¢ | $49.40 | $4.12 |
| Louisiana | 14.15¢ | $48.68 | $4.06 |
| Iowa | 14.14¢ | $48.64 | $4.05 |
| New Mexico | 14.12¢ | $48.57 | $4.05 |
| Missouri | 13.68¢ | $47.06 | $3.92 |
| North Dakota | 13.61¢ | $46.82 | $3.90 |
| Nevada | 13.60¢ | $46.78 | $3.90 |
| Nebraska | 13.59¢ | $46.75 | $3.90 |
| Oklahoma | 13.38¢ | $46.03 | $3.84 |
| Utah | 12.96¢ | $44.58 | $3.72 |
| Idaho | 12.35¢ | $42.48 | $3.54 |
One certified refrigerator at the median consumption of 344 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 refrigerator in Michigan?
About $75.71 a year — $6.31 a month — for a typical ENERGY STAR certified refrigerator using 344 kWh annually, at Michigan's average residential rate of 22.01¢ per kWh.
How much electricity does a refrigerator use?
Certified models range from 42 to 805 kWh a year, with a median of 344 kWh. That spread means the model you choose changes the running cost by $167.94 a year in Michigan.
Is that more or less than the rest of the country?
Michigan has the 14th highest residential electricity price of the 51 states and DC, at 22.01¢ against a national average of 19.41¢. The same refrigerator costs $66.77 a year at the national average — $8.94 less than you pay.
Will my bill actually go up by this much?
Only roughly. This is the certified test figure at your state's average price. Your own tariff, how heavily you use the appliance, and its age all move the real number. Older non-certified appliances often use considerably more.
Other circuits on the Michigan tariff
Same tariff, same method, one certified median each.
Consumption: US EPA ENERGY STAR certified product data. Tariff: US EIA Electric Power Monthly, retrieved 2026-07-28. Estimates for comparison only. Your actual bill depends on your tariff, how often you run the appliance, and local conditions.
