How much electricity does a freezer use?
A standalone freezer uses **405 kWh a year**. That is the median of 665 certified models, and the middle half fall between 346 and 492. Per day that is about **1.1 kWh**; per month, about **34 kWh**. Averaged over every hour, the draw is about **46 watts**.
Work it out with your own tariff
Your rate, cents per kWh
There is no hours setting here, unlike the other device pages. This appliance is not certified in watts at all — only as a yearly total, and that total already includes a defined pattern of use. Multiplying it by hours of your own would count the usage twice.
| Period | Cost | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| A year | $75 | 405 kWh — the measured figure |
| A month | $6.22 | a twelfth of the year |
| A day | $0.20 | a 365th of the year |
405 kWh × 18.44¢ = $75 a year. That averages 46 W drawn continuously.
405 kWh a year is the median of 665 certified standalone freezers; the middle half fall between 346 and 492. Measured under the DOE federal test procedure. Watts are not published for this appliance at all. Rate defaults to 18.44¢ (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2026-05) — a national average, which is wrong for you specifically, so put your own in above.
Per day, per month, per year — the same measurement divided up
There is only one measured figure here, the yearly total. Everything else on this page is that figure divided, and the table below shows exactly which divisor.
There is no separate daily measurement to be had, and any page presenting a daily figure as independently measured is presenting arithmetic as data.
A freezer costs about as much as a fridge, in a third less space
Median annual use is 405 kWh for a freezer against 435 for a 14-to-18 cubic foot refrigerator. Nearly the same, despite the freezer holding less — because it holds a much lower temperature, and because a chest or upright freezer is usually in a garage or basement where the ambient temperature works against it in summer.
The practical consequence: a second freezer is not a cheap addition. It roughly doubles the cold-storage line on your bill.
What it costs you specifically
Set your own tariff below.
What this does not account for
Certified freezers are a biased sample. Certification is voluntary and efficient models earn it. An older or uncertified freezer uses more.
Where it stands changes the answer more than for most appliances. The test procedure fixes ambient temperature. A freezer in an unheated garage works harder in summer and easier in winter, and the annual figure can move well outside the range here in either direction. This is the appliance where the gap between the label and your bill is widest.
Chest and upright models are pooled here. They differ — chest freezers hold cold better when opened — but the certified data does not separate them cleanly enough to publish two figures without guessing which is which.
Sources
- 01ENERGY STAR certified residential freezers — measured annual energy useU.S. Environmental Protection Agency ·
- 02Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.3 — average price of electricity to ultimate customersU.S. Energy Information Administration ·
How these figures are produced: see our methodology.
Figures are calculated from published wattages and a published tariff, both dated above. They are good for comparing devices, not for predicting your bill: your rate, settings and usage all differ.