Kitchen · Northeast
Cost to run a refrigerator in Delaware
At Delaware’s average residential rate of 18.70¢ per kWh, a refrigerator drawing 150W for 24 hours a day, at a 35% duty cycle, costs about $7.17 per 30.44 use days. Change the numbers below to match how you actually use yours.
Refrigerator electricity cost calculator
Use watts and running time, or enter energy from a label, meter or completed load. Your inputs stay on this device.
Enter a number within each field’s limits to calculate your cost.
Your estimated energy cost
460 kWh across 365 use days per year
Power mode includes your selected duty cycle. The monthly figure assumes 30.44 use days; the annual total uses your selected use days. These are estimates at the entered rate.
Energy charges only. Fixed utility fees, purchase, installation and maintenance are excluded. See the calculation method and sources.
Why the cost differs in Delaware
Delaware has the 33rd cheapest residential electricity of the 50 US states and Washington, DC we track, at 18.70¢ per kWh against a national average of 18.16¢. That is +3.0% compared with the national figure. Delaware sits inside the PJM market, where capacity auction prices rose steeply in 2025-26 and pushed rates above the regional average. Retail choice is available, so shopped rates diverge from the published average. The state is small enough that distribution costs are spread across a limited customer base. Both winter heating and summer cooling contribute, with neither season overwhelmingly dominant.
For this appliance specifically, the difference works out to an extra $2.48 a year over what the same refrigerator would cost at the national average rate. Run the identical appliance in Hawaii and it would cost $217 a year; in Nevada it would cost $58.50. That spread of $158 is entirely down to location.
Reducing use by 100 kWh would save $18.70 in energy charges at Delaware's average rate, compared with $18.16 at the US average. Whether a replacement appliance pays for itself also depends on its purchase price and the energy it actually saves.
Use the energy and delivery price that applies to your own utility plan in Delaware. If your plan has time-of-use prices, calculate each period separately or use a rate weighted by the electricity used in each period. Fixed monthly fees are outside this appliance energy-cost estimate.
| Location | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware this page | 18.70¢ | $7.17 | $86.00 |
| US average | 18.16¢ | $6.97 | $83.52 |
| Nevada cheapest state | 12.72¢ | $4.88 | $58.50 |
| Hawaii most expensive | 47.18¢ | $18.10 | $217 |
Delaware electricity rate trend
Rates in Delaware have moved from 18.14¢ to 18.70¢ per kWh between September 2025 and August 2026. The national residential average changed +3.4% from the same month a year earlier.
2025-09 to 2026-08 · cents per kWh
About running a refrigerator
A modern refrigerator draws 100 to 250 watts but the compressor only runs about a third of the time, so effective consumption is far below nameplate. It never switches off, though, which makes it one of the largest annual loads in a low-usage home. Units older than about 15 years often use two to three times more.
How we worked this out
The arithmetic is simple and we would rather show it than hide it. Divide watts by 1,000 to get kilowatts, multiply by hours of use and by the duty cycle to get kilowatt-hours, then multiply by your rate:
150W ÷ 1000 × 24h × 35% = 1.260 kWh/day × 18.70¢ = $0.236 per day
One honest caveat: Delaware’s figure is a state average published by the EIA. Your own utility’s tariff, any time-of-use pricing, fixed monthly service charges and local taxes all shift the real number. Put your actual per-kWh rate into the calculator above for a figure that reflects your bill.
How to estimate your refrigerator electricity use
Refrigerator consumption includes compressor operation and other loads such as fans and defrost. The appliance is plugged in all day, but its nameplate input is not a constant 24-hour draw.
An EnergyGuide dollar figure uses a test energy price. The annual kWh can be repriced locally, but your use may still differ from the test.
- Use annual EnergyGuide kWh or a representative measured kWh period when possible. Multiply energy by your own usage-based electricity price.
- Annual kWh multiplied by 1000 and divided by 8760 gives equivalent average watts. Use 24 hours/day, 100% duty and 365 annual-use days with that input.
- For a measured average covering the whole appliance, do not add a compressor duty factor or add defrost energy again.
- Size, ambient temperature, settings, door use and model features can change actual consumption. Compare the same measurement boundary and period.
Calculation and data sources
Daily kWh = watts ÷ 1,000 × hours × duty cycle ÷ 100. Multiply kWh by your rate in dollars per kWh to get cost. The wattage, hours and duty cycle above are editable example assumptions, not EIA measurements of this appliance.
The US and state average prices come from the EIA for August 2026. A state average is a starting point; your bill is the better source for your tariff.
Questions about refrigerator running costs
How much electricity does a refrigerator use?
In this example, 150 watts at a 35% duty cycle uses 0.053 kWh per scheduled hour. At 24.00 hours per day, that is 1.260 kWh per use day. Your model and operating conditions can differ.
How much does it cost to run a refrigerator for an hour?
The default example costs $0.010 per scheduled hour at the Delaware average of 18.70¢/kWh for August 2026. This includes the selected duty cycle. Enter your watts, duty cycle and electricity price for your own estimate.
Does the annual cost assume I use it every day?
The reference tables use 365 days at the stated daily hours; monthly figures use 30.44 days. These are comparison scenarios, not forecasts. For a heater used on 90 days, enter 90 use days per year in the calculator.
Why does electricity running cost vary by state?
For August 2026, the EIA state averages range from 12.72¢/kWh in Nevada to 47.18¢/kWh in Hawaii. Equal electricity use costs more at a higher rate. Your utility tariff can differ from the state average.
How do I estimate my refrigerator cost from its label?
Find annual kWh on the EnergyGuide label and multiply by your electricity price in dollars per kWh. This adjusts the price while retaining the label test assumptions.
Why is multiplying rated watts by 24 hours misleading?
The compressor and other components do not necessarily draw maximum power continuously. That calculation assumes full rated input all day unless cycling is explicitly accounted for.
How should I use measured refrigerator energy?
Divide measured kWh by the number of representative days for daily energy, then multiply by your price. A period covering both normal operation and defrost is more representative than an instantaneous watt reading.