Vitality-efficient home equipment typically value extra upfront, however they get monetary savings in the long term. Methods like warmth pumps and photo voltaic panels are frequent examples of upgrades that decrease your utility payments.
Fashionable home equipment, corresponding to new fridges, use considerably much less electrical energy than older fashions. These vitality financial savings finally cowl the preliminary worth distinction and cut back your total family bills.
For instance, warmth pumps and photo voltaic panels are identified long-term money-savers in comparison with older heating and energy methods. However what about your fridge?
To find out the true monetary influence of vitality effectivity over a fridge’s lifespan, I’ve run the numbers evaluating right this moment’s fashions with these from a decade in the past (2016).
I did the maths — a variety of it — on a pattern of two,630 fridges and targeted on long-term vitality prices since I had easy accessibility to the related Vitality Star knowledge.
This is how a lot vitality and cash you would possibly save by upgrading to a extra energy-efficient fridge.
The place my fridge knowledge comes from
Publicly accessible Vitality Star knowledge is a serious participant on this evaluation.
For my 2025 samples, I analyzed vitality utilization in trendy Vitality Star-certified fashions. For 2016, I could not depend on Vitality Star knowledge, as a result of it lists solely fashions that qualify for the newest requirements, not previous ones.
As an alternative, I sourced my 2016 knowledge from the California Vitality Fee’s Modernized Equipment Effectivity Database System. Reasonably than cowl 42 fridge lessons individually, I grouped them into the next broad classes:
Fridge varieties analyzed
| Pattern dimension: 2025 | Pattern dimension: 2016 | |
|---|---|---|
| High-mounted freezers | 385 | 137 |
| Backside-mounted freezers | 440 | 192 |
| Aspect-by-sides | 23 | 68 |
| Compact fridges | 1,235 | 150 |
| Complete | 2,083 | 547 |
I did not have a look at standalone fridges as a result of there wasn’t sufficient knowledge from both pattern group to carry out a significant comparability. Standalone freezers are a unique Vitality Star dataset that I did not embody.
It was important to exclude older merchandise from the trendy knowledge
I excluded any fridges manufactured earlier than 2021.
The present slate of Vitality Star-qualified fridges contains fashions from way back to January 2014, so I narrowed my checklist of candidates to merchandise that hit the market in 2021 or later — the final time Vitality Star up to date its standards. Whereas this technically implies that this is not a one-to-one comparability of 2025 and 2016, it displays essential particulars:
- Shops do not solely carry fridges from the present calendar yr, so the info ought to not less than replicate what’s accessible at retail.
- Most of the most effective fridges have been launched earlier than 2025.
- It is solely doable {that a} fridge rolled off the manufacturing facility line a month in the past, regardless of incomes a certification in 2021.
Evaluating your current fridge
I recommend utilizing Vitality Star’s Flip Your Fridge Calculator to match your present fridge with this evaluation. It gives a tough estimate based mostly in your fridge’s age, dimension, configuration and native electrical energy worth. For extra present electrical energy costs, test your latest billing assertion.
Likewise, you possibly can lookup an Vitality Information Label together with your fridge’s mannequin quantity for an actual yearly electrical energy use determine. I exploit the most recent Vitality Info Administration knowledge from 2024 for my calculations — 2025’s knowledge is not finalized as of the publishing of this text. It lists the residential nationwide common at $0.1648 per kilowatt-hour.
The magic quantity for every kind of fridge
As a result of all of it boils right down to a fridge’s class and quantity, I am unable to offer you a common quantity that applies to each fridge. As an alternative, I will break down the highlights and common stats in every class. Discovering retail pricing from 2016 (and 2025) proved to be a way more tough activity than I might resolve within the time I had for this evaluation. As an alternative, I used the info to create easy vitality financial savings tips under.
Fridges with probably the most potential financial savings over 10 years
Vitality-efficient side-by-side fridges yield probably the most financial savings, based on my calculations.
If the added value of upgrading to a brand new fridge (in contrast with shopping for or repairing a used one) is decrease than the numbers under, the brand new fridge will probably offset that worth distinction by means of vitality financial savings alone over the following 10 years:
- Aspect-by-side fridges: $340
- Backside freezers: $272
- High freezers: $83
- Compact fridges: $0 (common vitality effectivity stays largely unchanged since 2016)
If a brand new fridge prices greater than this effectivity premium, it can take longer to interrupt even. Keep in mind that whereas averages can provide you a very good rule of thumb, probably the most environment friendly home equipment will save much more in vitality prices. These numbers additionally do not account for potential rebates out of your utility firm, so precise financial savings could also be even increased.
Crucially, these numbers assume you are not switching to a unique fridge kind. For instance, you will probably see even larger vitality financial savings when changing a side-by-side fridge with a bottom-freezer fridge.
Key takeaways
- New side-by-side fridges will, on common, minimize your vitality prices greater than every other kind of fridge, although backside freezers additionally noticed some good enhancements over the past 10 years. Upgrading both kind of fridge to a contemporary model might be price it.
- The $83 in vitality financial savings for high freezers over 10 years most likely will not be sufficient to justify an improve in case your current high freezer nonetheless works.
- Fashionable compact fridge know-how is essentially equivalent to that of 2016. You do not should be choosy with most fashions.
A brand new top-mounted fridge might save simply $83 in electrical energy over 10 years.
High-mounted freezers
High-mounted freezers
| High-mounted | 2025 (common) | 2016 (common) |
|---|---|---|
| Effectivity (vs. US commonplace) | 10.80% | 4.10% |
| Annual vitality utilization | 344 kWh/yr | 394 kWh/yr |
| Annual vitality value ($0.1648/kWh nationwide common) | $56.62 | $64.94 |
| Month-to-month financial savings vs. 2016 | $0.69 | – |
| Annual financial savings vs. 2016 | $8.31 | – |
| 10-year financial savings vs. 2016 | $83.14 | – |
- Over 10 years, a brand new top-mounted freezer saves an estimated $83 in electrical energy payments in contrast with a 2016 mannequin.
- I could not discover a single instance from the pattern knowledge (together with the 2016 MAEDBS knowledge) that does not already meet the necessities for Vitality Star Most Environment friendly 2025.
- The typical effectivity of contemporary Vitality Star-rated high freezers is nearly triple that of 2016.
- High freezers use much less vitality per cubic foot, on common, than backside freezers and side-by-sides. They’re additionally the smallest full-size fridges.
A brand new bottom-mounted freezer ought to save round $272 in electrical energy over 10 years.
Backside-mounted freezers
| Backside-mounted | 2025 (common) | 2016 (common) |
|---|---|---|
| Effectivity (vs. US commonplace) | 14.80% | 8.50% |
| Annual vitality utilization | 468 kWh/yr | 633 kWh/yr |
| Annual vitality value ($0.1648/kWh nationwide common) | $77.09 | $104.27 |
| Month-to-month financial savings vs. 2016 | $2.26 | – |
| Annual financial savings vs. 2016 | $27.18 | – |
| 10-year financial savings vs. 2016 | $271.80 | – |
- A brand new bottom-mounted freezer ought to save an estimated $272 in electrical energy payments over 10 years in comparison with a 2016 mannequin.
- Backside freezer fridges earn increased effectivity scores on common than different full-size fridges, however their effectivity enhancements since 2016 aren’t as pronounced as these of high freezers and side-by-sides.
- Roughly 1 in 6 backside freezers qualify for Vitality Star Most Environment friendly 2025 — solely three fashions from 2016 meet this commonplace.
Aspect-by-side
| Aspect-by-side | 2025 (common) | 2016 (common) |
|---|---|---|
| Effectivity (vs. US commonplace) | 12.70% | 4.20% |
| Annual vitality utilization | 507 kWh/yr | 714 kWh/yr |
| Annual vitality value ($0.1648/kWh nationwide common) | $83.62 | $117.63 |
| Month-to-month financial savings vs. 2016 | $2.83 | – |
| Annual financial savings vs. 2016 | $34.01 | – |
| 10-year financial savings vs. 2016 | $340.08 | – |
A side-by-side fridge is the winner when it comes to potential vitality financial savings.
- A new side-by-side fridge saves a mean of $340 in electrical energy payments in contrast with a 2016 mannequin, the most important financial savings on this evaluation.
- Whereas 5 side-by-side fridge fashions (7%) from 2016 nonetheless meet trendy Vitality Star standards, two of those additionally qualify for Vitality Star Most Environment friendly 2025 — versus a single product within the trendy group.
Compact fridges
| Compact | 2025 (common) | 2016 (common) |
|---|---|---|
| Effectivity (vs. US commonplace) | 14.20% | 14.70% |
| Annual vitality utilization | 256 kWh/yr | 252 kWh/yr |
| Annual vitality value ($0.1648/kWh nationwide common) | $42.13 | $41.59 |
| Month-to-month financial savings vs. 2016 | -$0.05 | – |
| Annual financial savings vs. 2016 | -$0.54 | – |
| 10-year financial savings vs. 2016 | -$5.44 | – |
Mini fridges have not turn into considerably extra energy-efficient.
- New compact fridges have roughly the identical vitality effectivity as their 2016 counterparts. Actually, the common 2016 mannequin makes use of much less vitality.
- Whereas compact fridges use much less vitality total than full-size fridges, they use extra electrical energy per cubic foot of quantity.
- 121 minifridge fashions (81%) from 2016 meet trendy Vitality Star standards.
- Roughly 5% of fashions from each pattern teams qualify for Vitality Star Most Environment friendly 2025.
The place you reside additionally performs a task
Your regional vitality prices can swing the financial savings in both route.
Electrical energy prices differ broadly relying on the state and area you reside in. For instance, North Dakota’s common worth in 2024 was simply 11.51 cents per kilowatt-hour (the bottom within the US), whereas Hawaii’s was a whopping 42.86 cents.
The upper your electrical fee, the extra you will save on vitality with a brand new fridge. In contrast with the nationwide common, residents of Hawaii, California, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Alaska will see extra vitality financial savings of 51% to 160% when shopping for a brand new Vitality Star fridge.
Conversely, financial savings can be a lot decrease in states with comparatively low-cost electrical energy, corresponding to North Dakota, Idaho, Nebraska, Louisiana and Washington, which common lower than 12 cents per kilowatt-hour. In North Dakota’s case, that is simply $237.51 in financial savings on a side-by-side fridge — $102.56 lower than the nationwide common.
Effectivity math does not add up for good fridges
The exorbitant upfront value of most premium good fridges will probably cancel out your vitality financial savings.
Whereas I do not explicitly discover it on this evaluation, good fridges aren’t typically a very good funding in case your predominant aim is saving vitality over time. It has nothing to do with vitality effectivity and the whole lot to do with the premium you are paying for good dwelling tech.
For instance, Samsung’s good fridge fashions value not less than $700 greater than their conventional counterparts — this simply obliterates any long-term vitality financial savings. That stated, good fridges aren’t going away, and it is OK to splurge in case your funds permits.
How I did the maths: Calculating effectivity knowledge for fridges from 2016
Calculating fridge effectivity was a serious endeavor.
Once I began on this evaluation, I had no concept how bewildering fridge effectivity rules are within the US. However I wanted to grasp them to precisely calculate 2025 energy-efficiency values for all of the 2016 fashions.
The only strategy to clarify that is that each doable fridge configuration makes use of a novel formulation decided by effectivity variables, the fridge’s adjusted quantity, and anticipated base vitality consumption.
For instance, Class 3 Fridges have a top-mounted freezer, computerized defrost, and do not embody an computerized icemaker. As a result of the freezer is on high, the equipment’s fan can reap the benefits of the truth that chilly air sinks to tug air from the freezer into the fridge compartment. This sort of passive cooling will all the time be extra environment friendly than pumping chilly air up from a bottom-mounted freezer.
Likewise, the adjusted quantity accounts for the freezer compartment, which takes extra vitality to succeed in a goal temperature than the contemporary meals compartment. Adjusted quantity is all the time bigger than the linear quantity of a fridge — not less than when the equipment has each a freezer and a fridge.
Lastly, the entire elements of a fridge have a baseline vitality stage (base load) decided by the legal guidelines of physics. Since fridges cannot use lower than this a lot vitality, it is added to the ultimate calculation:
(Effectivity variable X Adjusted Quantity) + Base Load = Most Allowable Vitality Use
When you understand that just about the whole lot — from defrost kind to freezer location to built-in versus freestanding — impacts effectivity, it is sensible that there are 42 lessons of fridges and freezers with totally different vitality effectivity requirements.
Vitality Star standards are extra easy
Vitality Star has a number of rankings for dwelling home equipment.
It is a lot simpler to calculate the vitality stage a fridge must qualify for an Vitality Star Certification. It merely wants to make use of 10% much less vitality than the federal commonplace — I excluded trendy fridges that fall under this threshold. The final wrinkle is the Vitality Star Most Environment friendly standing, which adjustments yearly. Listed here are the 2025 requirements (PDF):
- High-mounted freezers will need to have an annual vitality consumption of 637 kWh or much less.
- Backside-mounted freezers and side-by-side models have to be not less than 27% extra environment friendly than the federal commonplace.
- Compact fridges have to be not less than 30% extra environment friendly than the federal commonplace.
As soon as I found out the calculations for every fridge class, it was merely a matter of including the formulation to my spreadsheet, calculating common vitality prices and figuring out the financial savings.
