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How much does it cost to run a chest freezer?
At the U.S. average residential price of 18.16¢ per kilowatt-hour (August 2026), running a chest freezer costs about $54.48 a year. Your own bill depends on your state's rate, which ranges from 12.72¢ to 47.18¢ across the country.
- Per day
- 14.9¢
- Per month
- $4.54
- Per year
- $54.48
Assumption: 300 kWh a year. A 7 cubic-foot manual-defrost chest freezer. Upright frost-free models run considerably higher.
Cost by state
Same appliance, same usage, 51 different prices. Sorted cheapest first.
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 12.72¢ | $3.18 | $38.16 |
| Louisiana | 12.87¢ | $3.22 | $38.61 |
| North Dakota | 13.31¢ | $3.33 | $39.93 |
| Utah | 13.31¢ | $3.33 | $39.93 |
| Idaho | 13.37¢ | $3.34 | $40.11 |
| Tennessee | 13.42¢ | $3.35 | $40.26 |
| Nebraska | 13.54¢ | $3.38 | $40.62 |
| Kentucky | 13.80¢ | $3.45 | $41.40 |
| Arkansas | 14.37¢ | $3.59 | $43.11 |
| Mississippi | 14.43¢ | $3.61 | $43.29 |
| Wyoming | 14.43¢ | $3.61 | $43.29 |
| Washington | 14.63¢ | $3.66 | $43.89 |
| Oklahoma | 14.82¢ | $3.71 | $44.46 |
| North Carolina | 14.95¢ | $3.74 | $44.85 |
| Florida | 14.99¢ | $3.75 | $44.97 |
| Arizona | 15.05¢ | $3.76 | $45.15 |
| South Dakota | 15.15¢ | $3.79 | $45.45 |
| Kansas | 15.47¢ | $3.87 | $46.41 |
| Montana | 15.57¢ | $3.89 | $46.71 |
| South Carolina | 15.76¢ | $3.94 | $47.28 |
| Georgia | 15.90¢ | $3.98 | $47.70 |
| Texas | 15.91¢ | $3.98 | $47.73 |
| Oregon | 15.92¢ | $3.98 | $47.76 |
| Missouri | 16.02¢ | $4.00 | $48.06 |
| West Virginia | 16.31¢ | $4.08 | $48.93 |
| Alabama | 16.33¢ | $4.08 | $48.99 |
| New Mexico | 16.51¢ | $4.13 | $49.53 |
| Indiana | 17.02¢ | $4.25 | $51.06 |
| Iowa | 17.06¢ | $4.26 | $51.18 |
| Colorado | 17.17¢ | $4.29 | $51.51 |
| Minnesota | 17.20¢ | $4.30 | $51.60 |
| Virginia | 17.64¢ | $4.41 | $52.92 |
| Delaware | 18.70¢ | $4.67 | $56.10 |
| Illinois | 19.32¢ | $4.83 | $57.96 |
| Ohio | 19.38¢ | $4.84 | $58.14 |
| Wisconsin | 19.41¢ | $4.85 | $58.23 |
| Maryland | 21.40¢ | $5.35 | $64.20 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.77¢ | $5.44 | $65.31 |
| Michigan | 22.99¢ | $5.75 | $68.97 |
| Vermont | 23.84¢ | $5.96 | $71.52 |
| Connecticut | 24.51¢ | $6.13 | $73.53 |
| New Jersey | 24.61¢ | $6.15 | $73.83 |
| District of Columbia | 25.98¢ | $6.50 | $77.94 |
| New Hampshire | 27.64¢ | $6.91 | $82.92 |
| Rhode Island | 28.18¢ | $7.04 | $84.54 |
| New York | 28.65¢ | $7.16 | $85.95 |
| Alaska | 29.41¢ | $7.35 | $88.23 |
| California | 29.75¢ | $7.44 | $89.25 |
| Massachusetts | 30.48¢ | $7.62 | $91.44 |
| Maine | 32.11¢ | $8.03 | $96.33 |
| Hawaii | 47.18¢ | $11.79 | $142 |
Cutting the number down
- A full freezer holds its temperature through each door opening better than an empty one. Jugs of water are free thermal mass.
- Manual-defrost models use less energy than frost-free ones, at the cost of an annual chore.
- Keeping it somewhere cool matters: an unconditioned garage in summer raises the running cost all season.
Questions
- How many watts does a chest freezer use?
- Usage is better expressed as 300 kWh a year.
- How much does a chest freezer cost per month?
- About $4.54 a month at the U.S. average rate, or $54.48 a year.
- Where is it cheapest to run?
- Nevada, at $38.16 a year, versus $142 in Hawaii — a spread of $103.