How much electricity does a refrigerator use?
In U.S. homes that have one, a refrigerator uses about 617 kWh a year, or 51 kWh a month, an average draw of about 70 watts around the clock. At the 2025 average residential price of 17.2¢ per kWh that is $106 a year or $8.86 a month. These are EIA estimates from its Residential Energy Consumption Survey of homes and their utility bills, not a manufacturer's label.
What decides the number
A home's main refrigerator used 617 kWh in a year on average; a second refrigerator, often an older one in the garage or basement, another 494 kWh. Households with any refrigerator used 839 kWh for all of them together. A refrigerator never stops: the compressor switches on and off all day, so the average draw is far below the wattage on the label, which is the peak while it runs. The yellow EnergyGuide label on a new model shows its tested kWh per year.
Refrigerator electricity use by home
By type of home
| Type of home | kWh / year | Cost / year at 17.2¢ |
|---|---|---|
| Single-family detached | 666 | $115 |
| Single-family attached | 599 | $103 |
| Apartments in buildings with 2–4 units | 506 | $87 |
| Apartments in buildings with 5 or more units | 511 | $88 |
| Mobile homes | 538 | $93 |
By home size (sq ft)
| Home size (sq ft) | kWh / year | Cost / year at 17.2¢ |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 1,000 | 519 | $89 |
| 1,000 to 1,499 | 592 | $102 |
| 1,500 to 1,999 | 646 | $111 |
| 2,000 to 2,499 | 664 | $114 |
| 2,500 to 2,999 | 688 | $119 |
| 3,000 or more | 706 | $122 |
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS), Tables CE5.3a/CE5.3b, average site electricity consumption per household using the end use (revised March 2024).
Cost to run a refrigerator in every state
| State | ¢/kWh | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 40.4 | $20.77 | $249.27 |
| California | 31.4 | $16.12 | $193.43 |
| Massachusetts | 30.4 | $15.64 | $187.63 |
| Rhode Island | 29.5 | $15.16 | $181.89 |
| Connecticut | 29.3 | $15.07 | $180.84 |
| Maine | 27.7 | $14.24 | $170.85 |
| New York | 26.4 | $13.57 | $162.83 |
| Alaska | 26.1 | $13.42 | $161.10 |
| New Hampshire | 24.5 | $12.61 | $151.35 |
| Vermont | 22.8 | $11.72 | $140.61 |
| New Jersey | 22.5 | $11.56 | $138.70 |
| District of Columbia | 21.9 | $11.27 | $135.25 |
| Michigan | 20.0 | $10.30 | $123.59 |
| Maryland | 19.5 | $10.04 | $120.50 |
| Pennsylvania | 19.3 | $9.92 | $119.02 |
| Wisconsin | 18.1 | $9.30 | $111.55 |
| Illinois | 17.7 | $9.09 | $109.02 |
| Delaware | 17.1 | $8.82 | $105.82 |
| Ohio | 16.9 | $8.69 | $104.27 |
| Alabama | 16.1 | $8.27 | $99.28 |
| Indiana | 16.0 | $8.21 | $98.47 |
| Minnesota | 15.8 | $8.14 | $97.67 |
| Colorado | 15.7 | $8.07 | $96.81 |
| Oregon | 15.5 | $7.95 | $95.39 |
| Texas | 15.4 | $7.92 | $95.02 |
| West Virginia | 15.4 | $7.91 | $94.96 |
| Virginia | 15.3 | $7.86 | $94.28 |
| Arizona | 15.3 | $7.85 | $94.15 |
| Florida | 15.2 | $7.82 | $93.85 |
| South Carolina | 15.1 | $7.77 | $93.29 |
| New Mexico | 14.8 | $7.64 | $91.62 |
| Georgia | 14.7 | $7.58 | $90.95 |
| Kansas | 14.4 | $7.42 | $89.09 |
| Mississippi | 14.0 | $7.21 | $86.57 |
| North Carolina | 14.0 | $7.20 | $86.38 |
| Iowa | 13.6 | $7.00 | $84.04 |
| Wyoming | 13.4 | $6.87 | $82.49 |
| South Dakota | 13.3 | $6.85 | $82.18 |
| Missouri | 13.3 | $6.84 | $82.06 |
| Nevada | 13.3 | $6.82 | $81.81 |
| Tennessee | 13.2 | $6.80 | $81.57 |
| Oklahoma | 13.2 | $6.79 | $81.51 |
| Washington | 13.2 | $6.77 | $81.26 |
| Kentucky | 13.1 | $6.75 | $81.01 |
| Utah | 13.0 | $6.69 | $80.33 |
| Montana | 13.0 | $6.68 | $80.15 |
| Arkansas | 12.9 | $6.62 | $79.41 |
| Louisiana | 12.5 | $6.44 | $77.25 |
| Nebraska | 12.1 | $6.20 | $74.35 |
| Idaho | 11.8 | $6.08 | $72.99 |
| North Dakota | 11.8 | $6.08 | $72.93 |
617 kWh a year at each state's 2025 average residential price (EIA-861), all charges included.
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