At the Ofgem cap rate for 1 October to 31 December 2026, a fridge freezer rated 150W costs about 28.4p a day and £103.75 a year when left plugged in continuously.
| Per hour of running | 1.2p |
|---|---|
| Per day | 28.4p |
| Per year | £103.75 (394 kWh) |
Calculated at 26.32p per kWh, the capped electricity unit rate for 1 October to 31 December 2026 on a standard variable tariff paid by direct debit. Electricity carries no VAT in that period, so this is the full unit price. The 54.83p daily standing charge is not included, because you pay that whether or not anything is switched on.
Two things worth knowing about that figure. The cap limits the unit rate, not your bill, so using more still costs more. And it is a Great Britain average: the actual capped rate is set per region, so your own rate could move these numbers either way. It is on your bill.
Fridge freezer has a thermostat, so the element or compressor switches off once it reaches temperature and back on when it drifts. The figures above assume it draws full power roughly 30% of the time it is on, which is typical.
This is where most running-cost figures online go wrong. Multiplying 150W by the hours it is switched on would give £343.09 a year, which is roughly 3.3 times the real figure.
Figures for fridge freezer run from about 100W to 250W. A fridge freezer is plugged in all the time but the compressor only runs when the temperature drifts above the set point, typically 25% to 40% of the time. Age matters: a unit from 2005 can use two to three times the electricity of a current A rated model of the same size. Ambient temperature matters too, which is why a freezer in an unheated garage in winter can behave oddly.
Keep the coils at the back clear of dust, leave a gap behind the unit for airflow, and check the door seal grips a sheet of paper. A freezer runs more efficiently when full, because the frozen contents hold the temperature between compressor cycles.
Treating it as 150W for 24 hours. That gives roughly three times the real figure. The duty cycle is the whole calculation.
Annual running cost against the appliances closest to it, on the same assumptions. The ordering surprises people: short bursts of very high wattage usually cost less than something modest left on for hours.
| Appliance | Per year |
|---|---|
| Tumble dryer | £144.10 |
| Dishwasher | £121.05 |
| Fridge freezer | £103.75 |
| Washing machine | £98.85 |
| Kettle | £72.05 |
Across a year, a fridge freezer on these assumptions is about 15.8% of a typical annual electricity bill of £658.00 at these rates.
The figures here use the capped rate. If you are on a fixed tariff, or you want to add several appliances together, put your own unit rate into the energy cost calculator on the homepage.