Category
Freezers running costs
622 ENERGY STAR certified models, ranked cheapest to run.
How much does it cost to run a freezer?
Running cost for 622 ENERGY STAR certified freezer models we track ranges from $25 to $120 a year, with a class median of $75/yr at the US average rate of $0.1856/kWh. For this class, running cost is driven mostly by interior volume, insulation, and whether it self-defrosts. Read the full running-cost guide
Cheapest freezer to run.
Top 25 of 622, ranked by estimated dollars per year.
Full cheapest ranking| # | Model | $ / year | Standing, % of class best |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Avanti CF24Q0W 2.5 cu ft |
$25 | |
| 2 | Liebherr UF3651 2.5 cu ft |
$29 | |
| 3 | Epic ECF36W-1 3.4 cu ft |
$31 | |
| 4 | Marathon MCF36W-1 3.4 cu ft |
$31 | |
| 5 | Kalamera KCF-100E 3.4 cu ft |
$32 | |
| 6 | Marathon MCF35W-1 3.5 cu ft |
$32 | |
| 7 | Danby DCF035A5WDB 3.5 cu ft |
$32 | |
| 8 | Arctic King AC35ESKCR1RCM 3.5 cu ft |
$32 | |
| 9 | Arctic King ARC04B2C** 3.5 cu ft |
$32 | |
| 10 | Master Chef 043-0292-2 3.5 cu ft |
$32 | |
| 11 | Midea MRC04M3C** 3.5 cu ft |
$32 | |
| 12 | Omnimax 3730-922 3.5 cu ft |
$32 | |
| 13 | Epic ECF50W-1 4.9 cu ft |
$34 | |
| 14 | Marathon MCF50W-1 4.9 cu ft |
$34 | |
| 15 | Cool-Living CL-5UFR 5 cu ft |
$36 | |
| 16 | Danby DCF050A5WDB 5 cu ft |
$36 | |
| 17 | Marathon MCF51W-1 5 cu ft |
$36 | |
| 18 | Arctic King AC05ESWCR1RCM 5 cu ft |
$36 | |
| 19 | Arctic King ARC05B2C** 5.1 cu ft |
$36 | |
| 20 | Frigidaire FFCS0562AW 5.1 cu ft |
$36 | |
| 21 | Galanz GLF50*E* 5 cu ft |
$36 | |
| 22 | L2 LRC05M2AWWC 5 cu ft |
$36 | |
| 23 | L2 LRC05M3A** 5.1 cu ft |
$36 | |
| 24 | Master Chef 043-0293-0 5 cu ft |
$36 | |
| 25 | Whirlpool WZC3209LW 9 cu ft |
$37 |
Reading the freezer ranking
Standalone freezers behave a lot like refrigerators in this index, running continuously rather than cycling with use, so interior volume is again the dominant lever on running cost. Unlike refrigerators, our dataset does not carry a chest-versus-upright field or a counter-depth flag for this class, only capacity and annual kWh (plus, for most models, a percent-less-than-standard figure), so those form-factor differences are not something this specific ranking can show you directly.
The raw cheapest-to-run list above rewards smaller interior volume, exactly as it does for refrigerators. The efficiency ranking normalizes for cubic feet instead, so a large freezer that is still efficient for its size is not unfairly buried beneath every compact model on the raw list.
Across the 622 certified freezers we track, running cost ranges from $25 to $120 a year with a median of $75/yr; models are spread fairly evenly across that range, without a heavy cluster at either end.
What to weigh when comparing models
Buy for the volume you actually need before comparing running cost, an oversized freezer running mostly empty costs more to operate for no real storage benefit, since air holds cold less efficiently than frozen contents do. Chest designs are generally understood to lose less cold air per opening than upright designs of similar capacity, worth asking about directly since it is not a field in this specific dataset.
A freezer's percent-less-than-standard figure, where published, is a useful second check alongside raw cost: it tells you how a model compares to the federal baseline for its size, independent of whether that size happens to be large or small. A small freezer with a weak percent-less figure and a large one with a strong percent-less figure can end up costing about the same to run, for very different reasons.
How we score this class
Every figure here follows the same formula: each model's published annual kWh from ENERGY STAR, multiplied by the US average residential rate of $0.1856/kWh. Full methodology on how we score, or use the calculator.
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