How Much Does It Cost to Run a Freezer per Day and Month?

Source: Planning watts of 45 and 24 hours a day, hours a day, using the average draw because the compressor cycles. Price: 17.23 cents per kWh, the 2025 US residential average from EIA Form EIA-861.

The monthly cost is 4% of the $150.68 average US electric bill. It runs all year, so the yearly cost is twelve times the monthly figure.

One figure cannot fit every home. These three cases show how much the answer moves with the equipment and the hours.

The lowest case costs $4 a month and the highest $13. Use the calculator above to match your own.

The same freezer costs different amounts depending on the state, because the price per kWh differs. Here are the three cheapest states, the US average and the three costliest, for the same 33 kWh a month.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 (final 2025 data). Price is residential revenue divided by sales and includes fixed charges.

See electricity rates in every state to find your own.

A freezer cycles like a refrigerator, with a smaller appliance and a lower target temperature. Its use varies with the surrounding air, so the same freezer costs more in a hot garage than in a basement.

Chest freezers use less than upright models of the same size because cold air stays in when you open the lid. A full freezer holds its temperature better than an empty one.

The range for this kind of appliance runs from about 30 to 100 watts. At 24 hours a day that is $4 to $13 a month, which is why checking the label on yours is worth the minute.

• Keep the freezer full, using containers of water if needed.
• Defrost manual-defrost models before ice builds up.
• Place it in a cool spot, not a hot garage.

Next step: Refrigerator costs. For general ideas, read how to lower your electric bill.

Other appliances in the kitchen and laundry group: Refrigerator, Clothes Dryer, Washing Machine, Dishwasher, Microwave, Electric Oven, Electric Stove, Chest Freezer, Electric Kettle, Air Fryer, Coffee Maker.

The cost is watts divided by 1,000, times hours, times your price per kWh. The 45 watts is a planning figure for this kind of appliance, set from typical product ratings, and the 24 hours is an assumed day of use. Neither is copied from a federal table. Federal guidance describes the method and warns that real wattage varies, so we publish our own typical ranges and label them as such. Prices come from EIA Form EIA-861 for 2025.

The calculation is the standard one used in the U.S. Department of Energy's consumer guidance on estimating appliance energy use. Wattage varies by product age and features, so the label on your own appliance beats any average. Read more in our methodology.