How Much Does It Cost to Run a Chest Freezer in the UK? (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 £0.026 per hour, or about £6.32 per month at 8 hours a day in the UK. Average running cost

Electricity price region

Hours used per day

Wattage	Per hour	Per day	Per month	Per year
Low 60 W	£0.016	£0.13	£3.79	£46.11
Typical 100 W	£0.026	£0.21	£6.32	£76.85
High 200 W	£0.053	£0.42	£12.63	£153.71

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

Electricity per year at typical use, on a log scale: #59 of 95 appliances, from least to most.

In the UK, with electricity at 26.3p per kWh (source: Ofgem price cap 1 Oct–31 Dec 2026, 2026-10), a typical chest freezer costs £0.026 per hour and about £76.85 per year at 8 hours a day. Each £1.00 of electricity buys roughly 38.0 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.

Is an efficient chest freezer worth it?

Freezer from the 2000s in a garage: about 480 kWh a year. Current A or B-rated chest freezer: about 170 kWh. The difference is worth £81.59 a year in the UK.

Replacing one that still works pays back in 7.4 years.
When yours needs replacing anyway, the extra cost of the efficient model pays back in 1.5 years.

Usage assumed: always on. Typical prices: £600.00 for the efficient model, £120.00 more than a basic one. Work it out with your own prices

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

Chest Freezer vs Mini Fridge

Cost by region

US states

Canadian provinces

Related appliances

Use the generic electricity cost calculator · Which uses more? Take the quiz