How much does it cost to run a chest freezer?
EIA data · June 2026About $4.02 a month at the U.S. average price of 18.34¢ per kilowatt-hour — but that figure moves a long way depending on where you live. Set your state below.
21.9 kWh a month at the U.S. average, 18.34¢/kWh for June 2026. Excludes fixed charges, taxes and time-of-use rates, which vary by utility and are on your bill.
Typical 60–250 W. Use the figure on your own label if you have it.
30% duty cycle applied — it draws power for part of that time.
A chest freezer sits mid-table at #36 of 88, which means something else in the house costs more. See whether kitchen or something else drives your bill.
Published figures for this appliance disagree by a wide margin. Why other sites price a chest freezer so differently.
How many watts a chest freezer uses
A typical 7–15 cubic foot chest freezer draws roughly 80–120 W while its compressor runs. Upright and older units sit toward the top of the range.
- Low
- 60 W
- Typical
- 100 W
- High
- 250 W
What it costs across the country
Same appliance, same usage, different electricity price. Annual cost at 100 W and the default usage above.
| State | ¢/kWh | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 52.72 | $139 |
| California | 34.74 | $91.30 |
| Massachusetts | 29.61 | $77.82 |
| New York | 29.49 | $77.50 |
| Ohio | 19.19 | $50.43 |
| Texas | 15.94 | $41.89 |
| Florida | 15.10 | $39.68 |
| Utah | 13.37 | $35.14 |
| Nebraska | 13.25 | $34.82 |
| Nevada | 13.11 | $34.45 |
Worth knowing
- Chest freezers hold cold better than upright freezers because cold air does not spill out when the lid is opened, so they cycle less.
- A full freezer cycles less than an empty one — the frozen mass holds temperature between compressor runs.
- Manual-defrost models use less electricity than frost-free models, which run a heater periodically to clear frost.
Other appliances
Prices are statewide residential averages for June 2026 from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. They exclude fixed monthly charges, taxes and time-of-use rates. See how these figures are calculated.