If you are planning to buy a new mini fridge or wondering how much electricity your existing mini fridge is consuming then this article is for you. In this article, we will calculate the power consumption of a mini fridge and also look at how much it costs to use one.

Also by the end, you will learn to calculate the power consumption of any fridge using a simple calculator.

Mini fridges are normally rated between 25 watts to 80 watts. Generally, the bigger the capacity of the fridge, the a higher is the wattage. A 115 ltr (4 Cu.ft) 80 watt mini fridge running for 24 hours in a day will consume around 0.64 kWh of electricity in a day. This adds up to around 19.2 kWh of electricity in a month.

Hence, the cost to run a 80 watt mini fridge for 24 hours a day for an entire month will be $ 4.95 in Los Angeles, £ 6.91 in London, and Rs 192 in Mumbai.

Mini Fridge Power Consumption:

There are three ways to calculate the power consumption of any mini fridge or any refrigerator for that matter,

1. Calculate the power consumption of a mini fridge using energy saving label. (easiest)
2. Calculate the power consumption of a mini fridge using wattage.
3. Calculate the power consumption of a mini fridge using an energy meter. (most accurate)

Let’s look at each method more in detail.

Calculating the power consumption of a mini fridge using energy saving label:

Most mini refrigerators today are energy star rated and you will see an energy-saving label on it that basically shows the annual power consumption of the fridge.

You can simply refer to the energy-saving label to get a ballpark figure of your mini fridge’s power consumption.

You can see the annual power consumption of different size mini fridge’s in the image below.

I have put together the above data in the table below that shows the annual power consumption of different size mini-fridges.

Mini Fridge Model – Midea- manual defrost model (Source – amazon)

Once you know the annual power consumption of your mini fridge, simply multiply it by your electricity tariff to get the annual cost to run it.

Cost to run an appliance = Power consumption of an appliance X electricity tariff.

If you are confused about what is kWh or what is an electricity tariff, then here is a quick explanation.

In simple words, an electricity tariff is the amount your electricity provider charges you for one kWh (unit) of electricity. I live in Mumbai, India here the electricity tariff is Rs 12/kWh.

(What is a Kilowatt hour (kWh) – Kilowatt hour or unit of electricity is the energy consumption of a device. For example, a 50-watt fan running for 50 hours will consume 50 watts x 50 hours = 2500-watt hours = 2.5-kilowatt hours of electricity = 2.5 units of electricity. (1 kWh of electricity = 1 unit of electricity))

To find your electricity tariff, just look into your previous month’s electricity bill and find out your monthly electricity consumption, then just divide your monthly electricity consumption by your total monthly electricity bill, the figure you get is approximately your electricity tariff.

I have put together the following table that shows the electricity tariff of a few countries.

Electricity Tariff Around The World:

You can also check out the following resources to know your electricity tariff:

• https://www.globalpetrolprices.com/electricity_prices/
• https://www.statista.com/statistics/263492/electricity-prices-in-selected-countries/

How Much Does it Cost To Run A Mini Fridge?

For your reference, I have calculated the cost to run different capacities of mini fridges for an entire year in 5 different countries, if your country is not listed then just multiply your mini fridge’s power consumption by your electricity tariff.

Now that we know the annual electricity cost to run a mini fridge, let’s look at how much will it will cost to run a mini fridge for 24 hours a day.

How Much Does it Cost To Run A Mini Fridge For 24 Hours?

Using the data from the above table, we can calculate the daily cost of running a mini fridge by simply dividing the annual running cost by 365. (1 year has 365 days)

For your reference, I have calculated the cost to run a 3.4 Cu.ft (96 ltr) mini fridge for 24 hours a day, the answers are as follows:

• The cost to run a 3.4 Cu.ft (96 ltr) mini fridge for 24 hours a day is $ 0.15 in LA.
• The cost to run a 3.4 Cu.ft (96 ltr) mini fridge for 24 hours a day is £ 0.21 in London.
• The cost to run a 3.4 Cu.ft (96 ltr) mini fridge for 24 hours a day is Rs 6 in Mumbai, India.
• The cost to run a 3.4 Cu.ft (96 ltr) mini fridge for 24 hours a day is ₱ 5.82 in the Philippines.

And the cost to run a 3.4 Cu.ft (96 ltr) mini fridge for 24 hours a day for an entire month will be as follows:

• The monthly electricity cost to run a 3.4 Cu.ft (96 ltr) mini fridge for 24 hours every day is $ 4.70 in LA.
• The monthly electricity cost to run a 3.4 Cu.ft (96 ltr) mini fridge for 24 hours every day is £ 6.57 in London.
• The monthly electricity cost to run a 3.4 Cu.ft (96 ltr) mini fridge for 24 hours every day is Rs 182 in Mumbai, India.
• The monthly electricity cost to run a 3.4 Cu.ft (96 ltr) mini fridge for 24 hours every day is ₱ 177 in the Philippines.

This is the easiest way to know the electricity consumption of your mini fridge, however, if your mini fridge is old and is not energy star rated then you can use the next method to calculate its energy consumption.

Calculate the Power Consumption of A Mini Fridge Using Wattage:

The power consumption of a mini fridge (for that matter any electrical appliance) depends upon two main things,

1. First is the wattage of your mini fridge,
2. And second is the electricity tariff in your area.

Before we jump into calculating the power consumption of your mini fridge let’s see what these terms are and how you can find out your mini fridge’s wattage and the electricity tariff of your locality.

If you already know these terms and just want to use the calculator then please scroll down to see the power consumption table and use the calculator.

What is the Wattage of A Mini Fridge:

The wattage of a mini fridge varies from 50 watts to 90 watts, generally, the bigger the capacity of a mini fridge, the higher the wattage.

You can find the wattage of your mini fridge by reading the label on it or just look for your mini fridge on amazon or the manufacturer’s website and you will find its wattage in the description section.

If this whole talk about wattage and electricity is confusing you then here is a quick explanation about what is watt.

Watt is the unit of power. It means the rate at which electricity is consumed or produced by a device. For example, a 50-watt TV consumes power at a rate of 50 watts per hour, it does not mean that the TV consumed 50 units of electricity, it means it will consume power at a rate of 50 watts every hour.

So in short, the wattage of a mini fridge lies between 50 watts to 90 watts and you can find it by looking at the label on it. With that out of the way, let’s look at what is electricity tariff.

How To Calculate A Mini Fridge Electricity Consumption:

With the knowledge of your mini fridge’s wattage, just use this simple formula to calculate its power consumption.

Power consumption of an appliance = Wattage of an appliance X operational hours.

Cost to run an appliance = Power consumption of an appliance X electricity tariff.

(Operational hours is basically the number of hours you are using your mini fridge)

I have already told you about what are electricity tariffs and also shared a table that shows the electricity tariffs of a few countries, just refer to that part.

With these two pieces of information in hand, you are ready to find the power consumption of your mini fridge.

Let me show you an example,

I have selected a 115 ltr (4 Cu.ft) 80-watt mini fridge listed on amazon. Let’s assume we will be using it 24 X 7 throughout the year.

Hence, we will calculate the daily, monthly, and annual power consumption of this 80-watt mini fridge

Before we start with the calculation, one thing to keep in mind is, even though the mini-fridge is running 24 hours a day, its compressor (which consumes the majority of the electricity) only runs for 1/3 of the time, which is 8 hours a day.

Hence, while calculating, we will consider the daily operational hours as 8 hours instead of 24 hours, even though the fridge will be running for 24 hours a day.

Now let’s calculate,

Electricity consumption of A 115 Litres 80-Watt Mini Fridge:

In our case, wattage is 80-watt and operational hours are 8 hours in a day (since the compressor runs for only 1/3rd of the time), 240 hours in a month, and 2,920 hours in a year.

Hence by using the above formula.

• Daily power consumption of a 115 ltr (4 Cu.ft) 80-watt mini fridge is = 80-watt X 8 hours = 640 wh.
• Similarly, Monthly power consumption of a 115 ltr (4 Cu.ft) 80-watt mini fridge is = 80-watt X 240 = 19.2 kWh.
• Annual Power consumption of a 115 ltr (4 Cu.ft) 80-watt mini fridge is = 80-watt X 2,920 = 233.6 kWh.

In the first method using an energy saving label, we saw the annual power consumption of a 125 ltr mini fridge is equal to 226 kWh, and in this calculation method, we got the annual power consumption of a 115 ltr mini fridge to be 233.6 kWh. Hence, it’s safe to say our calculations are somewhat accurate.

Now that you know the power consumption just multiply it by your electricity tariff and you will get to know the cost to run your mini fridge.

let’s calculate how much it will cost to run this 80-watt mini fridge for 24 hours every day for an entire month in Los Angeles, London, and Mumbai.

• In Los Angeles, the electricity tariff in Los Angeles is around 25.8 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), hence it will cost around $ 4.95 (19.2 kWh X 25.8 cents/kWh) to run this 80-watt mini fridge for 24 hours every day for an entire month.
• In London, the electricity tariff in London is around 36p/kWh, hence it will cost around £ 6.91 (19.2 kWh X 36p/kWh) to run this 80-watt mini fridge for 24 hours every day for an entire month.
• In Mumbai, the electricity tariff in Mumbai is around Rs 10 per kilowatt hour (kWh), hence it will cost around Rs 192 (19.2 kWh X Rs 10) to run this 80-watt mini fridge for 24 hours every day for an entire month.

For your reference, I have calculated the cost to run this 80-watt mini fridge for 24 hours daily throughout the entire year in Los Angeles, London, and Mumbai.

From the above table, we can see that the cost to run a 115 ltr (4 Cu.ft) 80-watt mini fridge for 24 hours a day will roughly be equal to:

• $ 0.16 in LA.
• £ 0.23 in London.
• Rs 6.4 in Mumbai, India.

And the cost to run a 115 ltr (4 Cu.ft) 80-watt mini fridge for 24 hours a day for an entire month will roughly be equal to:

• $ 4,95 in LA.
• £ 6,91 in London.
• Rs 192 in Mumbai, India.

The above figures show the approximate power consumption of an 80-watt mini fridge, however, the actual power consumption will be 10% to 20% on either side.

Now go ahead and use the below calculator to find out the power consumption of your mini fridge.

Just type the wattage of your mini fridge, the number of hours of usage, and your electricity tariff, and let the calculator do the math for you.

Mini Fridge Power consumption calculator:

As I said before, these are approximate values and the actual power consumption will be 10% – 20% on either side.

If you are not happy with the approximate results and you want to know the exact power consumption of your mini fridge, then I would suggest you buy a cheap Kill-A-Watt Meter from amazon.

Calculate the exact power consumption of any Fridge using Kill A Watt Meter:

Kill A Watt Meter is a simple device that gives real-time data on the power consumption of any device.

You can check it on amazon using this link – Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor

To use a kill-a-watt meter to calculate the power consumption of your mini fridge, first, connect your mini fridge’s plug into the kill-a-watt meter and then plug the kill-a-watt meter in your wall socket and you are good to go.

Then start using your refrigerator and you can see in real-time how many kWh (units) of electricity it is consuming.

You can check out this article to know more about the power consumption of all types of refrigerators, How much power does a refrigerator consume?

or check the following articles to know their power consumption in detail:

• Power consumption of a pedestal fan.
• Power consumption of a table fan.
• Power consumption of a ceiling fan.
• Power consumption of an air cooler.
• Power consumption of an AC.
• Power consumption of an electric fireplace.
• Power consumption of a refrigerator.
• Power consumption of a dehumidifier.
• Power consumption of an electric blanket.
• Power consumption of a washing machine.

You can check out this article to know more about the power consumption of common household appliances.

Check out my articles on solar power for home and how it can help you save your electricity bill.

Thank you for reading.

Aavjo 👋

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References:

• https://www.globalpetrolprices.com/electricity_prices/
• https://www.statista.com/statistics/263492/electricity-prices-in-selected-countries/