How We Calculate a Refrigerator's Annual Operating Cost (and How You Can)

Refrigerator operating cost is the simplest appliance calculation there is: annual kWh times your local electricity rate equals your annual bill. The numbers come right off the EnergyGuide label that ships with every fridge sold in the U.S. The math takes 30 seconds.

What's harder is knowing which rate to use, how to adjust for state and seasonal variation, and how to compare two models with different feature sets. This guide walks all of that, with the formula our cost figures use and the source links so you can reproduce them.

The basic calculation

Step 1: Pull the annual kWh from the EnergyGuide label on the appliance. Required by federal law to be visible at point of sale.

Step 2: Multiply by your local electricity rate. The rate is on your utility bill, usually as cents per kWh.

Formula: `annual cost ($) = annual kWh × rate ($/kWh)`

Example: A 600 kWh fridge × $0.15 per kWh = $90 per year.

That's it. Total annual electricity cost. No depreciation, no maintenance.

Which rate to use

The right rate to use depends on what you're asking.

If you want an apples-to-apples comparison across models, use the EIA national average rate (16.65 cents per kWh as of March 2026). This is what we use for our published annual-cost figures because it's stable and reproducible.

If you want your actual annual cost, use the rate on your most recent utility bill. The bill will show either a flat rate (e.g., $0.12 per kWh) or a tiered rate (e.g., first 500 kWh at $0.10, next 500 at $0.13, above 1,000 at $0.15). For tiered rates, use the rate at the tier where your fridge's usage will land (typically the lowest tier since fridge alone won't push you into higher tiers).

If you live in a regulated state where the rate is the same across providers (most of the South, parts of the Midwest), the EIA state-average rate is accurate. If you live in a deregulated state (Texas, parts of the Northeast, Pennsylvania), the rate you actually pay depends on your specific provider.

State variation

Residential electricity rates vary dramatically across the U.S. As of recent EIA data, the highest rates land in California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Connecticut at 28 to 40+ cents per kWh. The middle band (most of the Northeast, Midwest, Pacific Northwest) sits between 12 and 18 cents. The lowest rates (Louisiana, Idaho, Washington) come in under 12 cents.

A 600 kWh fridge that costs $90 a year at the federal average costs roughly $230 in Hawaii, $90 nationally, and $60 in Louisiana. Same fridge, same use, three different bills.

This rate variance matters for purchase decisions in two ways. In high-cost states, the energy efficiency of the fridge has a 2x to 3x bigger impact on the 10-year ownership cost than in low-cost states. The break-even time on choosing a premium ENERGY STAR Most Efficient model also shortens dramatically in high-cost states.

How the EnergyGuide label is calculated

The federal EnergyGuide label is the result of a standardized lab test (DOE test procedure 10 CFR 430). Conditions: a specific ambient temperature, a specific door-open frequency, and a fixed interior temperature setpoint. The annual kWh figure is normalized so all manufacturers test the same way.

What the test doesn't reflect:

• Your kitchen's ambient temperature (a fridge in a 78°F kitchen draws more than one in a 68°F kitchen)
• Your door-open habits (heavy users open the fridge 30+ times a day; light users 5 to 10)
• The fridge's actual fill level (a half-empty fridge cycles less efficiently than a properly-filled one)
• Special features like the ice maker (which is rated separately and added to the base number)

In practice, expect your actual annual kWh to be within +/- 20 percent of the EnergyGuide figure. The label is the standard you compare against, not a guaranteed prediction of your bill.

Adjusting for your kitchen

Three real-world factors to layer on top of the EnergyGuide number.

Ambient temperature. Every 10°F warmer in your kitchen adds about 5 percent to fridge energy use. A garage fridge in summer can draw 30 percent more than its EnergyGuide spec. Plan accordingly.

Door-open frequency. A household that opens the fridge 25 times a day uses roughly 10 percent more energy than a household that opens it 10 times. Smart-fridge door-open alerts can claw some of this back.

Fill level. A full fridge stores more thermal mass, so it cycles less. A half-empty fridge cycles more. Counter-intuitively, a more-used fridge can use less energy than a less-used one (within reason).

Comparing two models

When you're shopping, here's the practical calculation:

For two models with similar feature sets, multiply each model's EnergyGuide kWh by your local rate and compare. Bigger fridges almost always cost more per year, but per cubic foot the math can flip; see kWh per Cubic Foot.

For two models with different feature sets (one with ice maker, one without), look for the line item on the EnergyGuide label that breaks out "estimated energy usage." Most labels show the base figure plus any feature-specific add-ons.

For an honest comparison, also factor in the projected 10-year cost: annual cost × 10, plus a 25 percent uplift for expected rate inflation. A $90/year fridge costs roughly $1,125 over 10 years; a $60/year fridge costs $750. The $375 difference is meaningful when you're comparing purchase-price options.

Comparing models we publish about

Our catalog uses these specific cost figures for the headline models:

Amana ART348FFF 18 cu. ft. Top Freezer at $1,000: 18 cu. ft., 320 kWh, $53/year. 10-year cost: $533 plus inflation uplift.

Samsung RF27CG5010 26 cu. ft. French Door at $2,550: 26 cu. ft., 656 kWh, $109/year. 10-year cost: $1,090 plus inflation uplift.

GE Cafe CQE28DMN 27 cu. ft. Bottom Freezer at $5,950: 27 cu. ft., 776 kWh, $129/year. 10-year cost: $1,290 plus inflation uplift.

Fisher & Paykel RS30SHE 17 cu. ft. Built-In at $7,200: 17 cu. ft., 135 kWh, $22/year. 10-year cost: $225 plus inflation uplift.

The 10-year cost spread (about $1,000 between the cheapest-to-run and most-expensive-to-run) is real money. It rarely overrides the purchase-price decision (the appliances differ by $6,000+), but it changes the total cost of ownership calculation meaningfully.

What's not in the calculation

Three excluded costs.

Water (for ice makers and dispensers). Most U.S. water rates are low enough that an ice maker's water consumption costs under $5 a year. Not worth tracking separately.

Filter replacement (for water-dispensing models). Annual cost typically $50 to $100 depending on brand and replacement frequency. We cover this in The Hidden Subscription in Your Fridge: Water Filter Costs Over Time.

Service and repair. Average repair cost runs $150 to $400 per call, with most fridges seeing one call in the first 5 years. Not amortized into annual operating cost because it varies too much by brand and model.

Bottom line

The calculation is annual kWh times your local rate. EnergyGuide kWh figures are reproducible; rates vary by state. Use the EIA national average for cross-model comparisons; use your actual utility rate for your actual bill. The 10-year ownership cost (annual cost times 10 plus inflation uplift) is the right number when comparing total-cost-of-ownership across models with different purchase prices and feature sets. It rarely flips the buy decision, but it makes the math honest.