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How much does it cost to run a chest freezer?
At the U.S. average residential price of 18.34¢ per kilowatt-hour (June 2026), running a chest freezer costs about $55.02 a year. Your own bill depends on your state's rate, which ranges from 13.11¢ to 52.72¢ across the country.
- Per day
- 15.1¢
- Per month
- $4.58
- Per year
- $55.02
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 | 13.11¢ | $3.28 | $39.33 |
| Nebraska | 13.25¢ | $3.31 | $39.75 |
| Utah | 13.37¢ | $3.34 | $40.11 |
| Louisiana | 13.49¢ | $3.37 | $40.47 |
| Tennessee | 14.07¢ | $3.52 | $42.21 |
| North Dakota | 14.12¢ | $3.53 | $42.36 |
| Arkansas | 14.12¢ | $3.53 | $42.36 |
| Kentucky | 14.26¢ | $3.56 | $42.78 |
| Oklahoma | 14.33¢ | $3.58 | $42.99 |
| Idaho | 14.37¢ | $3.59 | $43.11 |
| North Carolina | 14.74¢ | $3.69 | $44.22 |
| Mississippi | 14.88¢ | $3.72 | $44.64 |
| Washington | 14.91¢ | $3.73 | $44.73 |
| New Mexico | 15.06¢ | $3.77 | $45.18 |
| Florida | 15.10¢ | $3.77 | $45.30 |
| Montana | 15.14¢ | $3.79 | $45.42 |
| Arizona | 15.18¢ | $3.79 | $45.54 |
| Wyoming | 15.24¢ | $3.81 | $45.72 |
| South Dakota | 15.36¢ | $3.84 | $46.08 |
| West Virginia | 15.45¢ | $3.86 | $46.35 |
| South Carolina | 15.55¢ | $3.89 | $46.65 |
| Kansas | 15.71¢ | $3.93 | $47.13 |
| Iowa | 15.93¢ | $3.98 | $47.79 |
| Texas | 15.94¢ | $3.98 | $47.82 |
| Missouri | 16.22¢ | $4.05 | $48.66 |
| Oregon | 16.32¢ | $4.08 | $48.96 |
| Georgia | 16.36¢ | $4.09 | $49.08 |
| Alabama | 16.40¢ | $4.10 | $49.20 |
| Colorado | 17.13¢ | $4.28 | $51.39 |
| Virginia | 17.22¢ | $4.30 | $51.66 |
| Indiana | 17.51¢ | $4.38 | $52.53 |
| Minnesota | 17.52¢ | $4.38 | $52.56 |
| Ohio | 19.19¢ | $4.80 | $57.57 |
| Delaware | 19.29¢ | $4.82 | $57.87 |
| Wisconsin | 19.56¢ | $4.89 | $58.68 |
| Illinois | 19.89¢ | $4.97 | $59.67 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.73¢ | $5.43 | $65.19 |
| Maryland | 21.84¢ | $5.46 | $65.52 |
| Michigan | 22.99¢ | $5.75 | $68.97 |
| Connecticut | 24.32¢ | $6.08 | $72.96 |
| District of Columbia | 24.39¢ | $6.10 | $73.17 |
| Vermont | 24.44¢ | $6.11 | $73.32 |
| New Jersey | 24.95¢ | $6.24 | $74.85 |
| New Hampshire | 27.01¢ | $6.75 | $81.03 |
| Alaska | 28.21¢ | $7.05 | $84.63 |
| Rhode Island | 29.23¢ | $7.31 | $87.69 |
| New York | 29.49¢ | $7.37 | $88.47 |
| Maine | 29.59¢ | $7.40 | $88.77 |
| Massachusetts | 29.61¢ | $7.40 | $88.83 |
| California | 34.74¢ | $8.69 | $104 |
| Hawaii | 52.72¢ | $13.18 | $158 |
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 $4.58 a month at the U.S. average rate, or $55.02 a year.
- Where is it cheapest to run?
- Nevada, at $39.33 a year, versus $158 in Hawaii — a spread of $119.