Fridge Power Consumption: How Many Watts Does a Refrigerator Use
Your fridge is running 24/7 all year long, making it one of the most energy-consuming appliances in your home. Understanding your fridge power consumption helps you estimate how much of your electricity bill it accounts for and identify areas to save.
What is the power consumption of a fridge freezer? How to calculate it? This in-depth guide will explain all the things you want to know. Just read on to learn how to check fridge power consumption, factors influencing your usage, energy efficiency ratings, and tips to save on energy bills.
Factors Influencing Fridge Power Consumption
Before learning how to check fridge power consumption, you will need to know the factors that might influence your fridge freezer power consumption. Here are the major ones.
Fridge Size and Type: Naturally, larger fridges consume more power to cool a bigger interior space. Meanwhile, French door, side-by-side, and fridge/freezer combos also consume more power than single-compartment models.
Age & Efficiency Rating: Old models use more energy due to outdated components and less efficient insulation. In addition, Energy Star certified models consume significantly less.
Temperature Settings: Lower temperature generally requires more power, leading to higher power consumption.
Use Habits: Frequent door openings, storing warm food, or leaving the door open will let warm air in, making the compressor work harder and leading to more fridge power consumption.
Location & Room Temperature: Putting a fridge in hot rooms or near heat sources will lead to higher energy use because the fridge needs to work harder to maintain internal temperatures.
Maintenance & Cleanliness: Dirty condenser coils reduce efficiency and drive up power draw, undermining any load shedding solutions you may have in place.
How Many Watts Does a Refrigerator Use and Its Cost?
Now you know the factors that influence your fridge’s power consumption. It’s time to see how to calculate it in practice. First off, you will need to figure out the wattage of your fridge. The information is usually displayed on the fridge compliance plate.
Meanwhile, you will need to figure out the estimated usage/working time. It’s worth noting that your fridge doesn’t work 24/7. It runs on the duty cycle, which is the percentage of time the compressor is running for a given period (typically 24 hours).
Generally, a fridge’s estimated usage is around 8 hours based on a 30% duty cycle (24 x 30% = 8). Now let’s assume your fridge is 130 watts when running, and you can do the math of fridge power consumption as follows:
Total energy = 130W x 8h = 1040Wh = 1.04kWh/day
According to the average Tariff in South Africa (R3.91/kWh for the Domestic Tariff to R4.75/kWh for the Home User Tariff), the total cost of a year would be:
Domestic Tariff
Total cost = 1.04 kWh/day x 365 days x R3.91/kWh = R1484.24
Home User Tariff
Total cost = 1.04 kWh/day x 365 days x R4.75/kWh = R1803.1
Energy Efficiency Ratings Explained
As introduced earlier, the energy efficiency ratings of your fridge greatly influence the energy usage. So what exactly are energy efficiency ratings? Here are the specifics.
Adopting a star system or letter-based system, energy efficiency ratings are labels showing how much energy a particular appliance uses compared to its performance. Simply put, an appliance that uses less power to accomplish the same task is more efficient.
South Africa uses standardized energy efficiency labels that are aligned with the EU energy label system. Here’s a breakdown of what each rating means in practical terms:
Rating | Meaning | Typical Energy Use | Explanation |
A+++ | Most efficient | 30–60% less than A | Best long-term energy savings |
A++ | Very efficient | 25–30% less than A | Great choice if A+++ is unavailable |
A+ | Efficient | 10–20% less than A | Good balance of price vs. savings |
A | Baseline efficiency | Standard | Meets minimum efficiency standards |
B | Below average | 10–20% more than A | Less efficient — may be cheaper upfront |
C | Poor efficiency | 20–35% more than A | Higher running costs over time |
D | Least efficient (old tech) | 35–50% more than A | Not recommended unless for temporary use |
Tips to Reduce Fridge Power Consumption
As one of the most energy-consuming appliances in the home, a fridge can use a significant amount of electricity per year. But worry not, you can follow these practical tips to make your fridge more energy-efficient.
1. Keep the Doors Closed: Don’t open fridges or freezers unless you need to. When a fridge is open, cold air will escape. The motor has to work harder to cool itself again, leading to more power consumption.
2. Set the Right Temperature: Lower temperatures mean higher energy use. Setting the fridge to 37–40°F (3–4°C) and the freezer to 0°F (−18°C) should be enough.
3. Regular Deforestation: A buildup of ice decreases efficiency. Defrost your freezer and refrigerator whenever ice accumulates.
4. Clean the Coils: It’s recommended to clean the coils every 6-12 months. So the compressor of the appliance can do less work to keep it cool, reducing the fridge's power consumption.
5. Cool Food Before Storing: Placing hot food in a fridge increases the temperature, which requires more electricity to keep the contents cool. Make sure the food is cool before placing it in the fridge.
6. Keep the Fridge Full: A full fridge reduces the warm air when the door is opened, so less energy is used to maintain the desired temperature.
7. Use Energy Efficiency Models: Switch to Energy Star certified models. They consume 10–15% less energy than standard models.
8. Power with a Station During Peak Hours: Running your fridge from power stations during peak tariff times can help reduce your grid usage and cut down electricity costs.
A dependable unit like the EcoFlow DELTA 2 Portable Power Station—featuring a 960Wh LiFePO₄ battery pack and 1,800W AC output—can keep a typical 100W refrigerator running for nearly 8 hours on a single charge. It fully recharges via AC in about 4.7 hours. This blend of capacity, output, and fast AC recharge keeps your fridge running affordably and reliably—whether you're shifting load off the grid during peak rates or maintaining operation through an outage.
EcoFlow DELTA 2 Portable Power Station
9. Go Solar Where Possible: Pairing your fridge with solar energy, especially through a home system or a portable solar generator, is a smart move. You can generate clean electricity during the day to offset your fridge's consumption, making your kitchen a little greener without changing your routine.
Conclusion
Understanding fridge power consumption is crucial for managing your energy usage and costs. With the specific guide above, now you should know how to calculate the power a fridge uses, the factors that affect it, energy efficiency ratings, and tips to reduce your fridge’s power consumption. Meanwhile, you might consider reducing your reliance on the grid by going solar with EcoFlow. So you can break free from rising utility rates and save on power consumption as a whole!
FAQs
How many watts does a fridge use in 24 hours?
The watts a fridge uses in 24 hours are subject to its size, age, efficiency rating, and usage patterns. Here’s a rough estimation.
Fridge Type | Average Wattage | Estimated Daily Use (24h) |
Mini fridge | 50–100 watts | 0.6–1.2 kWh |
Standard fridge (modern) | 100–250 watts | 1–2.5 kWh |
Older fridge (10+ years) | 200–400 watts | 2.4–4.8 kWh |
Energy Star fridge | 100–150 watts | 0.8–1.5 kWh |
How much electricity does a fridge use in South Africa?
The electricity a fridge uses in South Africa is generally similar to global, but overall usage and cost can be affected by electricity prices and the availability of energy-efficient models. Take the average rate as R4.75/kWh; the monthly cost of a fridge used in South Africa would be:
Energy-efficient fridge: 1 kWh/day x 30 days x R4.75/kWh = R142.5
Standard older fridge: 2.5 kWh/day x 30 days x R4.75/kWh = R356.25
What is the power consumption of a 200litre fridge?
The power consumption of a 200litre fridge is determined by its energy efficiency, technology, and age. Here’s the estimation:
Fridge Type | Daily Energy Use | Monthly Use | Yearly Use |
Modern, Energy-Efficient (A++/A+++) | 0.6 – 1.0 kWh/day | 18 – 30 kWh | 220 – 365 kWh |
Average Model (mid-efficiency) | 1.0 – 1.5 kWh/day | 30 – 45 kWh | 365 – 540 kWh |
Older Model (10+ years) | 1.5 – 2.5 kWh/day | 45 – 75 kWh | 540 – 900+ kWh |