Do Mini Fridges Use a Lot of Electricity

Updated on April 14, 2022

According to Consumer Reports, a 4.5 cubic foot micro fridge costs $27 a year to run, while a 20.6 cubic foot large refrigerator costs around $47 a year to run. Mini-fridges utilise 233 kWh to 310 kWh per year, but normal refrigerators use 420 kWh per year.

Do Mini Fridges Use a Lot of Electricity

Models, sizes, materials, and levels of insulation all influence actual energy use. When running, a mini-fridge typically consumes between 55 and 85 watts of electricity per hour. Be aware that the numbers may differ between models, especially if they come from different manufacturers.

Mini-fridge power usage is measured in watts, which must be translated to kilowatt-hours (kWh) in order to figure out how much to spend. Your energy consumption is affected by a variety of things, including the temperature of your room, the temperature of your refrigerator, the number of times you open the door, and so on.

Is That A Lot Of Electricity?

Regular refrigerators lose more cold air when they are opened than mini-fridges do. Having a lower volume, mini-fridges typically have a capacity of 1.7 to 4.5 cubic feet. Refrigerator capacities range from 9 cubic feet to 30 cubic feet.

If you open the mini-fridge seven times a day instead of the same number of times in a regular refrigerator, you’ll conserve more cool air. In exchange for storing fewer food and beverages, a lower capacity refrigerator generates less electricity than a full-sized refrigerator would.

Energy Consumption

Mini-fridge energy usage varies based on the mini-size, fridge’s function, and materials. According to Consumer Reports, a 4.5 cubic foot micro fridge costs $27 a year to run, while a 20.6 cubic foot large refrigerator costs around $47 a year to run. Mini-fridges utilise 233 kWh to 310 kWh per year, but normal refrigerators use 420 kWh per year.

Make sure you don’t fall into the trap of thinking that smaller devices use less energy. Actually, smaller machines require more energy per volume, resulting in higher cooling space costs per cubic foot:

• 20 Liter Volume: 50 kWh / $6.00
• 40 Liter Volume: 70 kWh / $8.40
• 60 Liter Volume: 100 kWh / $12.00

That being said, a mini-fridge costs more than half of a regular refrigerator’s annual price. You may wind up paying more than you need to if you don’t employ these criteria correctly.

How Much does it cost to run a mini fridge?

Due to the fact that a tiny fridge cycles on and off, it is practically impossible to estimate how much electricity it consumes. Estimates range from $20 to $50 per year in additional costs. It’s possible, though, to have a rough concept of how it operates by taking into account the following factors.

In this instance, the best advise is to thoroughly evaluate each issue before making a purchase and to keep an eye on your usage habits and the monthly costs you incur. The more you use your fridge, the more you’ll learn about what causes your temperature to rise, how often you open the door, and how much food you have on hand, especially hot foods. A pattern and method for using it more effectively can be found at this point.

Basic Mini Fridge Power Consumption Calculator:

• Fridge Wattage (W) x Hours Per Day (h) = Watt-hours per day
• Watt-hours / 1000 = kWh per day

Mini Fridges Save Electricity

In fact, if you’re a frequent user of your kitchen’s large refrigerator, a compact fridge can actually reduce your energy consumption. Because a mini-fridge is so compact, it loses far less cold air when it is opened than a kitchen refrigerator. Only 2.2 cubic feet of space is needed to keep 90 cans in a mini-fridge. Compare it to a typical household refrigerator: The typical home has a Frigidaire refrigerator with a volume of 22 to 25 cubic feet, ranging from 18 to 27 cubic feet. You can see how much more energy efficient a little fridge is when you compare it to having to open a 25 cubic foot fridge every time you want a soda.

Understanding Refrigerator Energy Consumption

Fridges don’t consume energy on a continual basis, thus it’s impossible to know exactly how much energy they use. They don’t stay on all the time. When they are regularly opened, or when heated goods are placed inside of them, or when they are set to their coldest setting, they run more frequently and consume more power. In addition, the quantity of insulation they have is also a factor. Double-paned doors and triple-layer insulation are standard features in NewAir’s small refrigerators. The less energy required to keep a fridge’s inside at 34 or 36 degrees, or whatever temperature you choose for cold drinks, the better the insulation in the fridge is.

However, certain refrigerators are more energy-efficient than others, and you can get a clear sense of their electricity use if you know what the various numbers indicate.

Watts and Kilowatts

Starting with watts, then. The wattage consumption of several refrigerators, including NewAir, may be found on the appliance’s label. According on their size, NewAir mini-fridges utilise between 85 and 100 watts of power. More frequently than larger models, smaller fridges do not cycle on and off as frequently

We’ll use the example of a NewAir refrigerator that runs for a third of the day as an illustration. That’s eight hours of work. watt-hours are the result of multiplying the two numbers: 85 watts for 8 hours. A day’s worth of electricity is equal to 680 watt-hours at 85 watts per hour.

Another step is to convert watt-hours (Wh) to kilowatt-hours (kWh) (kWh). KWH are the unit of measurement used by your utility company to charge you for all of your domestic electricity usage.

It’s as simple as shifting the decimal point by three spaces to the left. That works out to 680 Wh, which is equal to 680 Wh every hour.

Quickly Calculate Your Energy Cost

Utility companies bill by the kilowatt hour. By checking your electricity bill or contacting your utility company, you can learn more about your electricity costs. Tiered pricing is a common feature of most electricity providers. In other words, cutting back on your usage can save you money on your power bill. Depending on how much electricity you use, you may be charged a lower or higher price per kWh depending on how much electricity you use at home. The price per kilowatt-hour rises if you consume more electricity than is required.

The average summer and winter home electricity rates in San Diego, for example, are roughly 27 cents per kWh. This grade costs 47 cents per kWh in summer and 40 cents per kWh in winter. US Energy Information Administration data shows that the national average is 13 cents, which is significantly more than this rate. Consider a compact refrigerator if you reside in an area where utility costs are high.