Appliance running costs
Cost to run a freezer
How much does a 120 W freezer cost to run?
A 120 W freezer switched on 24 hours per day at 40% duty cycle uses 1.15 kWh of electricity per day. At $0.180/kWh that is $0.21 per day, about $6.31 per average month and $75.74 per year — 421 kWh over the year. Those figures assume a typical wattage and a typical usage pattern; change any input below to match your own appliance and tariff.
Your inputs
Typical example — replace this 120 W default with your appliance’s actual rating for a better estimate.
This appliance cycles — typical range around 40%.
No effect at 24 h/day: there are no switched-off hours. Include a continuous idle load in the duty cycle instead.
Use the total variable rate from your bill, including delivery charges per kWh.
$6.31
per month (30.44-day average month)
1.15 kWh per day at 120 W
- Per day
- $0.21
- kWh / month
- 35
- kWh / year
- 421
- Per year
- $75.74
Average power across 24 hours
48 W
Daily energy spread evenly over 24 hours. Includes standby draw during switched-off hours when entered.
Cost per running hour
$0.009
While the appliance is actually drawing power.
Effective duty cycle
40%
Share of switched-on time at rated power.
Method
- 120 W = 0.12 kW
- 0.12 kW × 24 h/day × 40% duty = 1.152 kWh/day active
- 1.152 kWh × 0.18 USD/kWh = 0.207 USD/day
- 0.207 × 30.436875 days = 6.311 USD/month
- 1.152 kWh × 365.2425 days = 420.759 kWh/year
- 420.759 kWh × 0.18 USD/kWh = 75.737 USD/year
Monthly figures use a 30.44-day average month, 365.24-day average year.
Assumptions
- Electricity rate of 0.18 USD/kWh (editable).
- Calculations use a year of 365.2425 days and an average month of 365.2425 ÷ 12 = 30.436875 days, so twelve average months equal one year exactly. Displayed values are rounded to 365.24 and 30.44 days, and the rounded figures do not multiply out exactly.
- Duty cycle of 40% — the appliance draws rated power for that share of the time it is switched on.
- Rated power is treated as real power in watts, not volt-amps.
What can change the result?
- Chest versus upright, and frost-free versus manual defrost
- Ambient temperature where the freezer sits
- How full the freezer is kept
- Setpoint temperature
$6.31/mo · 35 kWh/mo
How a freezer actually draws power
A freezer cycles like a refrigerator but holds a much larger temperature difference against the room, so its compressor typically runs a slightly larger share of the time. Chest freezers hold cold air when opened and generally cycle less than upright models. A full freezer also cycles less than an empty one, because the frozen mass itself stores cold.
Use the duty cycle field to reflect your freezer's location: a garage freezer in a hot summer cycles far more than one in a cool basement. Chest models sit at the lower end of the range, frost-free uprights at the higher end because the defrost heater adds periodic load.
Cost at different usage patterns
All rows use 120 W at 40% duty and $0.180/kWh. Only the hours change.
| Hours per day | kWh per day | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 h/day | 0.576 kWh | $0.10 | $3.16 | $37.87 |
| 18 h/day | 0.864 kWh | $0.16 | $4.73 | $56.80 |
| 24 h/day | 1.15 kWh | $0.21 | $6.31 | $75.74 |
Cost across the typical wattage range
Units in this category typically range from 60 W to 250 W. All rows use 24 h/day at 40% duty.
| Power rating | kWh per day | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 W | 0.576 kWh | $0.10 | $3.16 | $37.87 |
| 120 W | 1.15 kWh | $0.21 | $6.31 | $75.74 |
| 250 W | 2.40 kWh | $0.43 | $13.15 | $157.78 |
Worth knowing
Worth knowing
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Your next decision
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Electricity cost tools
- Electricity cost calculatorWatts and hours in, cost per day, month and year out.
- Cost per kWh explainedThree different costs per kWh on one bill, and which one belongs in a calculator.
- Appliance wattage calculatorA configurable appliance list: what this combination draws, and what it costs.
- Watts to run a houseRunning, average and startup watts — separated, not averaged into one range.
Defaults on this page come from the published default registry and the formulas are documented in the methodology.