Cost to run an upright freezer
An upright freezer typically uses 438 kWh a year, which costs £115.28 at 26.32p/kWh: about £9.61 a month.
A year of running costs
£115.28 a year
That is 438 kWh. Used as set, it comes to £9.61 a month and £115.28 a year.
On the energy label as kWh/annum or kWh a year.
| Period | Cost | Energy | CO2e |
|---|---|---|---|
| A day | 31.6p | 1.20 kWh | 261 g |
| A month | £9.61 | 36.5 kWh | 7.9 kg |
| A year | £115.28 | 438 kWh | 95.2 kg |
How we calculated this
438 kWh a year is how an energy label rates it: measured over normal running, with the compressor switching on and off as it does. That is far more reliable than its wattage, which it only draws part of the time.
The figures are for ENERGY STAR certified models sold in the US and Canada. Certified models are more efficient than the average model on sale, and many are larger than the ones sold in Europe, so an older or less efficient one will use more. The power shown is the average over every hour of the year, worked out from the annual figure: a compressor draws more than that while it runs and nothing while it is off.
The starting use for an upright freezer, all year round, is where the calculator starts, not a measurement of your home: change it to how you use yours. A day is the average across the week, and a month is a twelfth of a 365-day year.
Electricity costs 26.32p/kWh. That is the published figure for the United Kingdom, 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2026, from Ofgem. Average for England, Scotland and Wales, paying by Direct Debit. No VAT on electricity from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027.
Standing charges are left out: you pay them whether or not the appliance runs.
Emissions use 0.217 kg CO2e per kWh, the lifecycle intensity of electricity generated in the United Kingdom in 2025, from Ember, via Our World in Data. Lifecycle means building the power stations and supplying their fuel are counted too. It is the grid’s average, not the particular power station an extra appliance brings on.
What drives the cost
An upright freezer runs all year, and what it costs is set by the energy label’s figure for a year. Across 497 certified models the median uses 438 kWh a year, and most use between 381 kWh a year and 528 kWh a year. At 26.32p/kWh the median costs £115.28.
Also called: tall freezer, freezer.
What it costs in the UK, Europe and the US
For an upright freezer used as typical (all year round), at each country’s published average electricity price.
| Country | Electricity price | A year |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 26.32p/kWh | £115.28 |
| United States (average) | 18.19¢/kWh | $79.67 |
| Ireland | €0.4042/kWh | €177.04 |
| Germany | 0,3869 €/kWh | 169,46 € |
| France | 0,2561 €/kWh | 112,17 € |
| Spain | 0,2669 €/kWh | 116,90 € |
| Italy | 0,2966 €/kWh | 129,91 € |
| Netherlands | € 0,2558/kWh | € 112,04 |
Compared with similar appliances
| Appliance | Typical power | An hour | A year, typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upright freezer | 50 W | — | £115.28 |
| Chest freezer | 24.9 W | — | £57.38 |
| Fridge freezer | 54 W | — | £124.49 |
How to spend less on it
- Keep it full: frozen food holds the cold, so a full freezer works less than a nearly empty one.
- Open the door as little as you can, and shut it quickly: cold air falls out of an upright every time it is opened.
- Defrost it before ice builds up, and keep it somewhere cool, not next to a boiler or in a warm room.
Questions
How much does an upright freezer cost to run a year?
A typical one uses 438 kWh a year, which costs £115.28 at 26.32p/kWh, about £9.61 a month.
How many watts does an upright freezer use?
Most draw between 43.4 W and 60.3 W while running, and 50 W is typical. The rating is on the label or in the manual.
Why does an upright freezer cost more to run than a chest freezer?
Cold air is heavier than warm air, so it spills out of an upright when the door opens and the compressor has to replace it. A chest freezer keeps the cold in when the lid lifts, which is why the certified upright freezers here use more.
Sources
- ENERGY STAR Certified Residential Freezers (open data), ENERGY STAR, US Environmental Protection Agency, 26 September 2026. “ENERGY STAR certified upright freezers, annual energy: median 438 kWh a year across 497 certified models, 10th to 90th percentile 381 kWh a year to 528 kWh a year (models where type='Upright Freezer').”
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