← All appliances
Upright FreezerCost: Purchase Price & Running Cost
An upright freezer's compressor cycles on and off, so the effective continuous draw is roughly 55W for a typical 15 cu ft Energy Star model — about 30-40% more than a chest freezer of the same size, because opening the door dumps the cold air out. Frost-free uprights add a periodic defrost heater on top of that. Garage placement in hot summers can push real-world use 20-40% higher than the EnergyGuide sticker.
Average Purchase Price
$250–$1,000
5–21 cu ft; frost-free models cost more to buy and to run
watts
hrs/day
$/kWh
Daily Cost
$0.21
1.3 kWh
Monthly Cost
$6.34
39.6 kWh
Yearly Cost
$77.09
481.8 kWh
For perspective...
At $77.09/year, that's about $6 per month — roughly 15 gallons of gas per year.
Energy-Saving Tips for Your Upright Freezer
- Manual-defrost uprights use less electricity than frost-free ones — the defrost heater is a real load
- Decide what you want before you open the door; upright cold air spills out the moment it swings open
- If it lives in a hot garage, expect 20-40% more kWh than the EnergyGuide sticker (which assumes 70°F)