Appliance running costs
Cost to run a refrigerator
How much does a 150 W refrigerator cost to run?
A 150 W refrigerator switched on 24 hours per day at 35% duty cycle uses 1.26 kWh of electricity per day. At $0.180/kWh that is $0.23 per day, about $6.90 per average month and $82.84 per year — 460 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 150 W default with your appliance’s actual rating for a better estimate.
This appliance cycles — typical range around 35%.
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.
$6.90
per month (30.44-day average month)
1.26 kWh per day at 150 W
- Per day
- $0.23
- kWh / month
- 38
- kWh / year
- 460
- Per year
- $82.84
Average power across 24 hours
52 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
35%
Share of switched-on time at rated power.
Method
- 150 W = 0.15 kW
- 0.15 kW × 24 h/day × 35% duty = 1.26 kWh/day active
- 1.26 kWh × 0.18 USD/kWh = 0.227 USD/day
- 0.227 × 30.436875 days = 6.903 USD/month
- 1.26 kWh × 365.2425 days = 460.206 kWh/year
- 460.206 kWh × 0.18 USD/kWh = 82.837 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 35% — 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?
- Compressor duty cycle, which rises in a hot kitchen or with a full-open door
- Door openings and how full the cabinet is
- Defrost cycles and ice maker use
- Age and door seal condition
$6.90/mo · 38 kWh/mo
How a refrigerator actually draws power
A refrigerator is plugged in all day but its compressor is not running all day. It cycles: the compressor pulls the cabinet down to temperature, shuts off, and restarts when the cabinet warms. A typical unit runs somewhere between 25% and 45% of the time. Multiplying nameplate watts by 24 hours overstates real consumption by roughly a factor of three.
The realistic figure comes from the duty cycle, not the nameplate. If your appliance label lists an annual kWh figure, that already includes cycling — divide it by 365 to compare with the daily figure below. Auto-defrost heaters and ice makers add short bursts of several hundred watts that the simple model does not separate out.
Cost at different usage patterns
All rows use 150 W at 35% duty and $0.180/kWh. Only the hours change.
| Hours per day | kWh per day | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 h/day | 0.630 kWh | $0.11 | $3.45 | $41.42 |
| 18 h/day | 0.945 kWh | $0.17 | $5.18 | $62.13 |
| 24 h/day | 1.26 kWh | $0.23 | $6.90 | $82.84 |
Cost across the typical wattage range
Units in this category typically range from 80 W to 250 W. All rows use 24 h/day at 35% duty.
| Power rating | kWh per day | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 W | 0.672 kWh | $0.12 | $3.68 | $44.18 |
| 150 W | 1.26 kWh | $0.23 | $6.90 | $82.84 |
| 250 W | 2.10 kWh | $0.38 | $11.51 | $138.06 |
Worth knowing
Worth knowing
Your next decision
- Battery runtime for a fridgeFridge backup runtime, cycling and surge included.
- FreezerWhat a freezer costs to run, using realistic behaviour rather than nameplate watts.
- Electricity cost calculatorWatts and hours in, cost per day, month and year out.
- Why the rating plate overstates what this appliance usesDuty cycle and part-load operation, which set the figures above.
Your next decision
Other appliance running costs
- What uses the most electricityA ranking that re-sorts when you change the assumptions behind it.
- Space heaterWhat a space heater costs to run, using realistic behaviour rather than nameplate watts.
- Air conditionerWhat an air conditioner costs to run, using realistic behaviour rather than nameplate watts.
- FreezerWhat a freezer costs to run, using realistic behaviour rather than nameplate watts.
- Hot tubWhat a hot tub costs to run, using realistic behaviour rather than nameplate watts.
- Pool pumpWhat a pool pump costs to run, using realistic behaviour rather than nameplate watts.
- DehumidifierWhat a dehumidifier costs to run, using realistic behaviour rather than nameplate watts.
- Gaming PCWhat a gaming pc costs to run, using realistic behaviour rather than nameplate watts.
- Electric ovenWhat an electric oven costs to run, using realistic behaviour rather than nameplate watts.
- Clothes dryerWhat a clothes dryer costs to run, using realistic behaviour rather than nameplate watts.
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.