How much does it cost to run a fridge?
A fridge with a typical power of 150 watts costs up to 3.9p for each hour it is drawing power at the current price cap.
Uses Ofgem's price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026: 26.32p per kWh, the average for Great Britain when paying by Direct Debit. Prices checked 13 November 2026.
Result
A fridge (150 W) costs 3.9p an hour to run at the price cap rate of 26.32p per kWh.
an hour, to the nearest penny
| A day | 3.9p |
|---|---|
| A week | 27.6p |
| A month | £1.20 |
| A year | £14.41 |
| Electricity used in a year | 55 kWh |
That is 2% of the 2,500 kWh a typical home uses in a year.
A fridge switches itself off once it reaches temperature, so it draws this power only part of the time. Treat this as the most it could cost.
Show the workings
| Step | Sum | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Turn watts into kilowatts | 150 W ÷ 1,000 | 0.15 kW |
| Cost of one hour | 0.15 kWh × 26.32p per kWh | 3.9p |
| Cost of one day's use | 3.9p × 1 hours | 3.9p |
| Cost of one week | 3.9p × 7 days | 27.6p |
| Cost of one year | 27.6p ÷ 7 × 365 days | £14.41 |
What this leaves out or assumes
- The standing charge is left out, because you pay it whether or not you use this appliance.
- A month is one twelfth of a year.
- The appliance draws its full power for the whole time it is on.
Where the figures come from
- Electricity unit rate, price cap, Great Britain average, Direct Debit: 26.32p per kWh. Source: Ofgem: Energy price cap unit rates and standing charges. Checked 13 November 2026.
- Typical yearly electricity use, medium user: 2,500 kWh a year. Source: Ofgem: Review of typical domestic consumption values, decision (Table 1). Checked 13 November 2026.
Typical power for a fridge is from Centre for Sustainable Energy: How much electricity am I using?. Yours may differ: check its rating plate.
A fridge does not draw 150 watts all the time. It switches itself off once it reaches temperature and back on when it needs to. The figures on this page are for the time it is actually drawing power, so they are the most it could cost. You cannot get a day's cost by multiplying the hourly figure by 24.
If your fridge has an energy label or a manual that gives its electricity use in kWh, use that instead: multiply the kWh by 26.32p to get the cost.
Cost while it is drawing power
| Running for | Electricity used | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 0.012 kWh | 0.3p |
| 10 minutes | 0.025 kWh | 0.7p |
| 30 minutes | 0.075 kWh | 2p |
| 1 hour | 0.15 kWh | 3.9p |
| 2 hours | 0.3 kWh | 7.9p |
| 4 hours | 0.6 kWh | 15.8p |
Cost over a month and a year
If it drew full power for this long every day:
| Drawing power for | A month | A year |
|---|---|---|
| 30 minutes a day | 60p | £7.21 |
| 1 hour a day | £1.20 | £14.41 |
| 2 hours a day | £2.40 | £28.82 |
| 4 hours a day | £4.80 | £57.64 |
How much electricity does a fridge use?
A fridge rated at 150 watts uses 0.15 kWh of electricity for every hour it draws full power. Drawing power for 1 hour every day, that is 55 kWh a year, 2% of the 2,500 kWh a typical home uses.
Cost in your region
The price cap is different in each region. An hour of a fridge drawing power costs 3.8p in East Midlands, the cheapest region, and 4.2p in Merseyside and Northern Wales, the dearest.
| Region | Price per kWh | Cost for an hour |
|---|---|---|
| East Midlands | 25.36p | 3.8p |
| Eastern England | 26.61p | 4p |
| London | 26.60p | 4p |
| Merseyside and Northern Wales | 27.86p | 4.2p |
| North Eastern England | 25.46p | 3.8p |
| North Western England | 26.49p | 4p |
| Northern Scotland | 26.35p | 4p |
| South Eastern England | 26.88p | 4p |
| South Western England | 26.58p | 4p |
| Southern England | 26.47p | 4p |
| Southern Scotland | 26.11p | 3.9p |
| Southern Wales | 26.55p | 4p |
| West Midlands | 25.60p | 3.8p |
| Yorkshire | 25.60p | 3.8p |
Paying by Direct Debit. Prices for other ways of paying.
How it compares
| Appliance | Typical power | An hour |
|---|---|---|
| Kettle | 3,000 W | 79p |
| Oven | 2,100 W | 55.3p |
| Hob | 2,000 W | 52.6p |
| Grill | 1,500 W | 39.5p |
| Toaster | 1,000 W | 26.3p |
| Microwave | 1,000 W | 26.3p |
| Fridge-freezer | 300 W | 7.9p |
| Freezer | 150 W | 3.9p |
| Fridge | 150 W | 3.9p |
| Extractor fan | 20 W | 0.5p |
Running costs of every appliance
Checking your own fridge
150 watts is a typical figure. Yours may be higher or lower. Look for the rating plate on the back or underside, find the number followed by W or kW, and put it in the calculator above.
Typical power is from Centre for Sustainable Energy: How much electricity am I using?, checked 13 November 2026. Prices are from Ofgem: Energy price cap unit rates and standing charges. The costs are our own sums.