The Wattage Requirements of Average Refrigerators

Years

• The U.S. Department of Energy reports that a refrigerator’s model year can affect the number of watts it uses. Generally, later model frigs use less energy than earlier ones. A side-by-side unit with 19 to 21 cubic feet built before 1980 requires 2,839 kilowatts (thousand watts) per year. Those built from 1980 to 1989 use 2,191 kW; from 1990 to 1992, 1,646 kW; from 1993 to 2000, 1,089 kW; and from 2001 to 2008, 695 kW.

Types

• The type of unit can also affect the wattage requirements of average refrigerators. Assuming a model built from 2001 to 2008 with 19 to 21.4 cubic feet, a two-door, top-freezer unit needs 537 kW per year. A two-door model with a bottom freezer uses up more electricity at 598 kW. A side-by-side uses up even more watts at 695 kW, while an upright uses up the most at 803 kW. Finally, a freezer chest that has no refrigeration section uses up the least amount of energy at 517 kW. Aside from the differences in their construction, the low wattage is also because these units are opened less often than regular refrigerators.

Size

• All things being equal, larger refrigerators use up more watts than smaller ones, which makes it important to buy only a unit that you can reasonably fill every day. Using 2001 to 2008 as the model years, a side-by-side fridge under 16.5 cubic feet uses 608 kW per year. At 16.5 to 18.9 cubic feet, it consumes 666 kW and at 19 to 21.4 cubic feet, it uses 695 kW. At 21.5 to 24.4 cubic feet, it takes 713 kW, and at sizes above that, energy use is 713 kW.

Energy Star

• The U.S. government grants the Energy Star designation to refrigerators that use 20 percent less energy than the minimum federal government standard, which varies by refrigerator size and type. (Full-size freezers greater than 7.75 cubic feet must only be 10 percent more efficient to receive the credential.) This means, for example, that a side-by-side fridge measuring 21.5 to 24.4 cubic feet would qualify for using only about 540 kW per year, as opposed to the standard 713 kW.