How many watts does a refrigerator use?

A typical full-size fridge draws 125–220 watts while it runs. That’s about 0.995–1.75 kilowatt-hours (kWh) a day.

What do you run?

Tap a row to edit it.

Type
kWh a yearkWh a year
How manyHow many
It’s on the yellow EnergyGuide label.
560 kWh a year ÷ 12 = 46.7 kWh · 46.7 kWh × 18.0¢ US average = $8.41 a month
A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is 1,000 watts for one hour. It’s what your bill counts.

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$8a month

About $101 a year, or 27.5¢ a day.

Estimate my bill See prices by state

How much power does each kind of fridge use?

Bigger fridges use more. A side-by-side uses about 76% more than a top-freezer, and a mini fridge uses about 32% less than one.

Type	kWh a year	kWh a day	Watts on average	Watts while running	Cost a month
Top-freezer	363	0.995	41 W	125 W	$5.45
Bottom-freezer or French door	560	1.53	64 W	190 W	$8.41
Side-by-side	640	1.75	73 W	220 W	$9.59
Fridge only (no freezer)	288	0.789	33 W	100 W	$4.32
Mini fridge	246	0.674	28 W	85 W	$3.69
Older than 15 yearsBottom-freezer or French door · about a third moreSample	745	2.04	85 W	255 W	$11.18

Top-freezer0.995 kWh a day · 41 W on average$5.45
Bottom-freezer or French door1.53 kWh a day · 64 W on average$8.41
Side-by-side1.75 kWh a day · 73 W on average$9.59
Fridge only (no freezer)0.789 kWh a day · 33 W on average$4.32
Mini fridge0.674 kWh a day · 28 W on average$3.69
Older than 15 yearsSample2.04 kWh a day · 85 W on average$11.18

ENERGY STAR · certified models · pulled Nov 3, 2026

Each row is the middle (median) ENERGY STAR model of its type. Running watts are average watts × 3, because a fridge runs about a third of the time.

What does a fridge cost to run in each state?

The same fridge costs more than three times as much in Hawaii as in North Dakota.

Hawaii44.3¢$20.69 · 44.3¢ a month
California32.3¢$15.08 · 32.3¢ a month
Massachusetts30.4¢$14.20 · 30.4¢ a month
Maine29.6¢$13.82 · 29.6¢ a month
Rhode Island29.4¢$13.73 · 29.4¢ a month
New York28.6¢$13.36 · 28.6¢ a month
Connecticut27.4¢$12.80 · 27.4¢ a month
New Hampshire27.0¢$12.61 · 27.0¢ a month
Alaska26.9¢$12.56 · 26.9¢ a month
District of Columbia24.5¢$11.44 · 24.5¢ a month
Vermont23.9¢$11.16 · 23.9¢ a month
New Jersey23.7¢$11.07 · 23.7¢ a month
Michigan21.3¢$9.95 · 21.3¢ a month
Maryland21.2¢$9.90 · 21.2¢ a month
Pennsylvania20.9¢$9.76 · 20.9¢ a month
Illinois18.9¢$8.83 · 18.9¢ a month
Wisconsin18.8¢$8.78 · 18.8¢ a month
Ohio18.4¢$8.59 · 18.4¢ a month
US average18.0¢$8.41 · 18.0¢ a month
Delaware18.0¢$8.41 · 18.0¢ a month
Indiana16.9¢$7.89 · 16.9¢ a month
Virginia16.6¢$7.75 · 16.6¢ a month
Colorado16.6¢$7.75 · 16.6¢ a month
Alabama16.4¢$7.66 · 16.4¢ a month
Minnesota16.3¢$7.61 · 16.3¢ a month
Texas16.0¢$7.47 · 16.0¢ a month
South Carolina15.8¢$7.38 · 15.8¢ a month
West Virginia15.5¢$7.24 · 15.5¢ a month
Oregon15.5¢$7.24 · 15.5¢ a month
Florida15.4¢$7.19 · 15.4¢ a month
Arizona15.4¢$7.19 · 15.4¢ a month
New Mexico15.3¢$7.15 · 15.3¢ a month
Georgia15.2¢$7.10 · 15.2¢ a month
Kansas15.1¢$7.05 · 15.1¢ a month
Mississippi14.9¢$6.96 · 14.9¢ a month
North Carolina14.8¢$6.91 · 14.8¢ a month
South Dakota14.3¢$6.68 · 14.3¢ a month
Iowa14.2¢$6.63 · 14.2¢ a month
Washington14.2¢$6.63 · 14.2¢ a month
Wyoming14.0¢$6.54 · 14.0¢ a month
Missouri14.0¢$6.54 · 14.0¢ a month
Kentucky13.9¢$6.49 · 13.9¢ a month
Montana13.9¢$6.49 · 13.9¢ a month
Oklahoma13.8¢$6.44 · 13.8¢ a month
Tennessee13.6¢$6.35 · 13.6¢ a month
Arkansas13.6¢$6.35 · 13.6¢ a month
Nevada13.4¢$6.26 · 13.4¢ a month
Utah13.3¢$6.21 · 13.3¢ a month
Louisiana13.0¢$6.07 · 13.0¢ a month
Idaho12.8¢$5.98 · 12.8¢ a month
Nebraska12.7¢$5.93 · 12.7¢ a month
North Dakota12.3¢$5.74 · 12.3¢ a month

See prices by state

A bottom-freezer or French door fridge (560 kWh a year) at each state’s average price.

State averages · last 12 months · US government data (EIA)

More in the kitchen

FAQ

Questions about fridge power

Going by the middle ENERGY STAR models, a typical full-size fridge draws about 1–2 amps while the compressor runs. To work it out, divide the running watts by 120 volts: 190 W ÷ 120 V is about 1.6 amps. It can draw more for a second when it starts.

It can. A fridge’s compressor runs more when the air around it is hot and when the door opens often, so a fridge in a hot garage can use more than its label says. The label’s kWh a year comes from a federal lab test at a steady 90°F, with the doors kept shut.

Look for the yellow EnergyGuide label inside the door or on the back: it shows the kWh a year your model used in the federal test. Type that into the kWh a year field above to price your own fridge.

About as much again. Two middle ENERGY STAR bottom-freezer or French door fridges use about 1,120 kilowatt-hours (kWh) a year between them. Set How many to 2 in the calculator above to see what that costs at your price.

Information as of Nov 2, 2026.

Our numbers come from US government data (EIA) and ENERGY STAR.

Refrigerator figures: ENERGY STAR Certified Residential Refrigerators (opens data.energystar.gov in a new tab) (pulled Nov 3, 2026); DOE Energy Saver, “Estimating Appliance and Home Electronic Energy Use” (opens web.archive.org in a new tab) (archived Jul 1, 2026).

Report a mistake (opens support.onepublicgrid.com in a new tab)

How many watts does a refrigerator use?

What do you run?

How much power does each kind of fridge use?

What does a fridge cost to run in each state?

More in the kitchen

Questions about fridge power

How many amps does a refrigerator use?

Does a fridge use more electricity in summer?

How do I find my own fridge’s kWh?

What does a second fridge cost to run?