How much does a fridge freezer cost to run?

A fridge freezer is one of very few appliances that runs every hour of every year, which makes its running cost worth knowing and easy to get wrong. The number people reach for first — the watts on the rating plate — is the compressor's draw while running, and the compressor runs perhaps a quarter to a third of the time. Using it directly overstates the cost by a factor of three or four.

What you'll need

• Your energy bill, for the unit rate in pence per kWh
• The appliance's energy label or its EPREL entry (optional)
• A plug-in energy monitor (optional)

Step by step

1. Find your actual unit rate in pence per kWh.It is on your bill or in your app, listed separately from the standing charge. Use your own figure — rates vary by region, tariff and payment method, and any national average is wrong for somebody.
2. Find the appliance's annual consumption in kWh.On the energy label as kWh per year, or in the manual, or on the EPREL database entry via the QR code on the label. Typical modern fridge freezers sit somewhere around 150-300kWh a year depending on size and class.
3. Do the multiplication.Annual kWh times unit rate in pence, divided by 100, gives pounds per year. So 200kWh at 26p per kWh is 200 times 26 = 5200 pence, which is £52 a year, or about £1 a week. Substitute your own two numbers.
4. Adjust upward for reality.The label figure is measured with the doors shut, in a controlled ambient, with no warm food going in. A busy family fridge in a warm kitchen commonly uses 20-40% more than the label figure. Treat the label as a floor.
5. Measure it directly if you want the real number.A plug-in energy monitor between the socket and the plug, left for a full week so it captures several defrost cycles and normal use. Multiply the week's kWh by 52. This is the only method that tells you the truth about your appliance in your kitchen.
6. Do not calculate from the watts on the rating plate.That is the compressor's running power, not its average draw. A fridge freezer with a 100W compressor running 30% of the time averages about 30W, not 100W. This single mistake is behind most of the alarming figures people quote.
7. Check the things that actually move the number.Dusty condenser coils, a failed door seal, ventilation blocked behind or above the appliance, a kitchen that runs hot, and a fridge set colder than it needs to be. Each of these is worth more than any brand choice.
8. Compare running cost against replacement cost before upgrading.Take the difference in annual kWh between your appliance and a new one, multiply by your unit rate, and divide the purchase price by that saving. If the answer is more than about ten years, the replacement is not paying for itself.

Tips

• A fridge freezer set to 3°C instead of 5°C works noticeably harder for no food safety benefit. Measure with a thermometer and set it to hold 4-5°C.
• An older appliance running well can be cheaper overall than a new one bought on credit. Do the payback arithmetic before assuming otherwise.
• The standing charge on your bill is not affected by anything you do with the appliance. Only the unit rate belongs in this calculation.
• If your appliance is on a smart plug already, most give you a cumulative kWh reading, which does the measuring job with no extra purchase.

Common mistakes

• Multiplying the rating plate watts by 24 hours — It assumes the compressor runs continuously. A healthy fridge freezer runs perhaps 25-40% of the time, so this method overstates the cost by three or four times and leads to panic about a perfectly efficient appliance.
• Using a national average unit rate — Rates differ substantially by region, tariff type and payment method. Since the whole calculation is one multiplication, using your own rate costs nothing and is the only version that is true for you.

Questions people ask