Cost to run a chest freezer per year
What a chest freezer costs
At 17 cents a kilowatt hour, a chest freezer costs 1.7 cents an hour while it is drawing power. 24 hours a day with 40 percent average draw is 0.96 kWh a day, $4.90 a month and $59.57 a year. Change any of those three numbers in the calculator and the answer moves with them, because there is nothing else in the sum.
The label figure is 100 watts. That is what the device draws while it is working, not what it draws around the clock.
| Hours of use a day | Energy a day | Cost a month | Cost a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 h | 0.04 kWh | $0.20 | $2.48 |
| 2 h | 0.08 kWh | $0.41 | $4.96 |
| 4 h | 0.16 kWh | $0.82 | $9.93 |
| 8 h | 0.32 kWh | $1.63 | $19.86 |
| 24 h | 0.96 kWh | $4.90 | $59.57 |
What changes the number
- Chest freezers are cheaper to run than uprights of the same volume because cold air stays inside when the lid opens. That difference is 15 to 25 percent over a year.
- A freezer in an unheated garage can lose its efficiency rating entirely. Many units are not rated for temperatures below zero and the compressor runs continuously.
- A half-empty freezer costs more per item than a full one. Frozen mass holds temperature, so the compressor cycles less.
Find your own wattage
On the lid or the back panel. Annual kWh on the energy label divided by 8760 gives the average draw.
What this does not include
It does not count door openings, which vary enormously and are the main reason two identical freezers differ.
Check it against your own numbers
The [running cost calculator](../index.html?device=chest-freezer) opens with this device already selected and its wattage filled in. Replace the wattage with your own reading, set the hours you actually use, and the monthly and yearly figures update in place.
Related: [A 1,500 W space heater](../space-heater/index.html), [An electric blanket](../electric-blanket/index.html), [A dehumidifier](../dehumidifier/index.html).