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How Much Does It Cost to Run a Chest Freezer in Ontario? (2026)
Chest freezers are more efficient than upright freezers because cold air stays inside when the lid opens. A modern 200 litre chest freezer uses around 200 to 300 kWh a year; older units can use double that.
A typical chest freezer (100 W) costs C$0.015 per hour, or about C$3.60 per month at 8 hours a day in Ontario. Average running cost
| Wattage | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (60 W) | C$0.009 | C$0.072 | C$2.16 | C$26.28 |
| Typical (100 W) | C$0.015 | C$0.12 | C$3.60 | C$43.80 |
| High (200 W) | C$0.030 | C$0.24 | C$7.20 | C$87.60 |
Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 8 h/day ≈ 292 kWh per year.
One hour of a chest freezer (0.10 kWh) is the same electricity as
- 2.0hours of a fridge
- 2.2hours of a laptop
- 10hours of Wi-Fi
- 11hours of an LED bulb
In Ontario, with electricity at C$0.15 per kWh (source: Hydro-Québec 2025 comparison, 2025-04), a typical chest freezer costs C$0.015 per hour and about C$43.80 per year at 8 hours a day. That is about 7% more than the national average for Canada (C$3.36 per month), because electricity in Ontario costs C$0.15 per kWh against C$0.14 nationally. Each C$1.00 of electricity buys roughly 66.7 hours of use.
How to lower the cost of running a chest freezer
- Keep it in a cool garage or basement, not a hot utility room.
- Keep it at least two-thirds full. Frozen mass holds cold through door openings and power cuts.
- Defrost when ice exceeds about 5 mm. Ice buildup makes the compressor run longer.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to run a chest freezer per year?
A typical modern unit uses 250 to 350 kWh a year. Check the yearly figure above.
Is a chest freezer cheaper to run than an upright?
Yes, typically 10 to 25 percent, because less cold air spills out when opened.
Does a freezer use more power in a hot garage?
Yes. Every 5 C rise in ambient temperature can add 10 to 20 percent to running cost.
Compare with
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