How much does it cost to run a refrigerator?
EIA data · June 2026About $7.03 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.
38.3 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 80–400 W. Use the figure on your own label if you have it.
35% duty cycle applied — it draws power for part of that time.
A refrigerator sits mid-table at #24 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 refrigerator so differently.
How many watts a refrigerator uses
A modern full-size fridge draws roughly 120–200 W while its compressor runs. The high end of the range covers large side-by-side and older pre-2000 units, which draw considerably more.
- Low
- 80 W
- Typical
- 150 W
- High
- 400 W
What it costs across the country
Same appliance, same usage, different electricity price. Annual cost at 150 W and the default usage above.
| State | ¢/kWh | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 52.72 | $242 |
| California | 34.74 | $160 |
| Massachusetts | 29.61 | $136 |
| New York | 29.49 | $136 |
| Ohio | 19.19 | $88.25 |
| Texas | 15.94 | $73.31 |
| Florida | 15.10 | $69.44 |
| Utah | 13.37 | $61.49 |
| Nebraska | 13.25 | $60.94 |
| Nevada | 13.11 | $60.29 |
Worth knowing
- A fridge is plugged in 24 hours a day but its compressor only runs about a third of the time, which is the single most misunderstood thing about refrigerator running costs.
- The yellow EnergyGuide label on a new fridge states kWh per year directly. That is a better number than any wattage estimate, including this one.
- A second fridge in a hot garage can cost noticeably more to run than the same fridge in a cool kitchen, because the compressor cycles more often.
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.