Everyone has a refrigerator in their kitchen. This appliance is a home essential, a nifty gadget that is so important that it runs 24/7 all year round in many homes. However, rather surprisingly, not everyone who owns a refrigerator knows how many watts their refrigerator uses.
Awareness about your refrigerator wattage is important for many reasons. It plays an integral role in knowing your home’s average power consumption and estimating the average energy needed to power your appliance using backup options like generators in the case of power outage.
Essentially, while homeowners often overlook knowledge about their refrigerator’s wattage it is an information that comes in handy when necessary.
Do you have trouble determining the wattage of your refrigerator? In this guide, we have provided all you need to know on determining how many watts your refrigerator uses.
How Many Watts Does a Refrigerator Use?
In many households, refrigerators use an estimated power rate of 350-780 watts. While this estimate is as close to the average refrigerator as it can get, it is important to note the wattage used depends on various factors. These factors, which include type, size, and usage of the refrigerator, plays an integral role in determining how high or low a refrigerator’s wattage is.
The type of refrigerator plays a crucial role in determining how much wattage is used to function. Since not all refrigerators are the same, it is expected that the power usage will vary. Hence, a mini fridge will not use the same wattage as a deep freezer.
Speaking of mini-fridges, these appliances typically use anywhere between 50-100 watts in power. They require considerably less power consumption than regular-sized refrigerators.
Essentially, the energy consumption of any refrigerator is determined by several factors. Some of these factors include:
Type
Residential fridges typically use less energy than commercial refrigerators. In fact, a commercial refrigerator can utilize up to ten times the amount of energy required to run a home bar refrigerator.
Size
As a rule of thumb, the larger the refrigerator the more energy it will consume. Although technological milestones have created large energy-efficient refrigerators, refrigerators with larger volume will always typically require more power. This explains why top-mount fridges are more efficient than their side-by-side counterparts.
Location
The ambient atmosphere of the fridge’s location also impacts its energy consumption. If the area where your refrigerator is placed is warm or poorly aerated, the fridge will require more power to maintain optimal internal temperature.
Season
Warmth is no doubt a weakness for refrigerators which is why your appliance will typically use more power in the summer than during colder months. This is because of the higher ambient temperature that makes the appliance work harder to maintain a cold temperature in its interior.
Usage
The more frequently you use your refrigerator and open its doors, the harder it works to balance its interior cold temperature. As a result of the compressor working harder, the refrigerator requires more energy to function. This leads to higher power consumption.
Age
As technology evolves, refrigerators are constantly tweaked to enhance capabilities. As such, older refrigerator models are typically less energy-efficient than newer high-star-rated refrigerators.
Condition
Damaged refrigerator seals are more likely to cause a decrease in the efficiency of power usage. As such, refrigerators in bad condition and with damaged seals will use more wattage.
Temperature Set Point
The lower the temperature set point, the more power your refrigerator requires to function efficiently.
How to Calculate How Much Energy Your Refrigerator Uses
Many homeowners do not realize it but it is extremely easy to check how much energy or wattage your refrigerator uses. To do so, simply look for a sticker on your refrigerator.
The manufacturer sticker or label is usually placed behind your refrigerator or on the wall of its interior. In many cases, the label will state the refrigerator’s energy consumption in watts but this is usually just the running wattage.
In other cases, the label lists only the refrigerator’s voltage (Volt/V) and ampere (Amp) specifications. Determining the wattage in this case will require a bit of calculation. To determine how much energy your refrigerator uses, simply multiply both figures.
For example, if your refrigerator runs on 120 V and 6 amps, its wattage equals 720 watts. This is because Watt=Volt * Amp.
However, in many cases refrigerators have a lower running wattage compared to their high starting wattage.
Starting wattage are extra watts needed to start your refrigerator for two-three seconds. On the other hand, running watts is the energy needed to keep your appliance running continuously.
Starting watts is typically two to three times of running watts. Hence, the running watts in the example above will range from 240-360 watts.
Using this information, you can calculate your refrigerator's daily energy consumption cost. To do this:
- Multiply the running wattage by 24 hours since refrigerators typically run all day every day.
- Next, you will divide the figure by 1000 to convert watts to kilowatts (kW).
- Consult your energy bill to determine how much you pay per kilowatt-hour (kWh).
- Multiply the figure after converting watts to kilowatts with the price per kilowatt-hour. This will establish your refrigerator’s daily energy consumption cost
- Multiply by 30 to determine the monthly cost.
For example, for a refrigerator with 360 watts running power:
- Power consumption per hour= 240W/1000 = 0.24kWh
- Power consumption per day= 0.24kWh* 24Hrs = 5.76kW
- Power consumption per month= 5.76kW * 30 = 172.8kW
- Power consumption per year= 172.8kW * 12= 2,076kW per year.
- If the household spends $0.10 per kWh, it will cost $0.10 * 5.76kWh= $0.576 to run the refrigerator daily
- Per year, this will amount to $0.10 * 2,076kW= $207.6.
How to Reduce Refrigerator Power Consumption in Your Daily Life?
Although your refrigerator’s power consumption depends on its wattage, there are several ways to cut power consumption. Some ways you can do this include:
- Keeping Away From Heat Source:Raising the ambient temperature around the fridge forces your appliance to work harder and draw more power than necessary. To cut consumption, place your refrigerator away from heat sources like stoves, ovens, radiators, or direct sunlight.
- Sufficient Ventilation:Adequate ventilation is key for power efficiency. Ensure your refrigerator is placed in an area that supports adequate ventilation to ensure the compressor does not end up running continuously.
- Adjust Temperature:The colder your refrigerator is, the more power it consumes. Your refrigerator should be set to 4 or 5 degrees Celsius and its freezer should be between -15 and -18 degrees Celsius.
- Only Refrigerate Cold Food: Placing warm food in your refrigerator will cause its interior to heat up too quickly. Always ensure hot food cools down before placing it in your refrigerator.
- Keep Doors Closed:The more often and longer you open your refrigerator door, the more cold air escapes. When cold air is let out, warm ambient air rushes in, causing the refrigerator’s interior to heat up. To avoid this, only open your fridge when necessary and never for too long.
Related Reading: How to Protect Your Food During Outages?
Can a Solar-powered Generator Power Your Refrigerator?
Power outages are usually bad news for your refrigerator. Without electricity, your fridge doesn't work, causing its interior to heat up and your food to spoil.
If you find yourself suffering from frequent power outages, it might be a great idea to invest in a solar-powered generator. Drawing energy from the sun using photovoltaic panels, solar generators convert the sun’s energy to clean, safe, and eco-friendly electricity. This offers a great backup for emergencies following a power outage.
But will a solar generator power your refrigerator?
The short answer is ‘Yes’. However, there are several factors you need to consider such as generator size, battery capacity, and energy output.
When choosing a solar generator for your refrigerator, you need to choose an efficient option that will provide as much power as your fridge needs for as long as necessary. Growatt INFINITY 1300 offers efficiency and reliability all in one to keep your refrigerator running through a power outage.
The INFINITY 1300 Battery Generator + 200W Solar Panel offers a 1382Wh Capacity & 1800W Output, more than enough to keep the average home refrigerator running. With a longlasting battery that offers more than 3,000 cycles, you don’t have to worry about deteriorating battery health.
All in all, the Growatt INFINITY 1300 Battery Generator + 200W Solar Panel offers:
- Up to 14 versatile outlets for your devices
- 24/7 reliability
- 22% conversion efficiency
- Fast solar charging speed from 0-100% in 2.5 hours
- Easy accessibility and control via app
- Sophisticated Battery Management System (BMS) for maximum battery efficiency.
With the INFINITY 1300, you enjoy reliable and emergency power supply at home in the event of a power failure.
FAQs About Refrigerator Wattage
1.What size generator do I need to run my refrigerator?
Knowing the best solar-powered generator size for your refrigerator (and other home appliances, of course) requires knowing your refrigerator’s wattage. You need a generator that not only has the energy output to accommodate your refrigerator’s running watts but also its starting watts (and other appliances if necessary).
Essentially, if your refrigerator has a 300 running wattage and 900 starting watt, you need a generator that can provide more than this energy requirement. In this case, a generator with 1200 wattage might be more than enough.
2.Can a 2000W solar generator power a refrigerator?
Yes, a 2000W solar generator will power the average home refrigerator. However, as previously mentioned, it is important to determine your refrigerator’s wattage beforehand to ensure its energy needs can be met by a 2000W generator.
Conclusion
Have you ever considered checking how much watts your refrigerator runs on? Determining your refrigerator’s wattage is a great way for energy-conscious homeowners to make informed decisions when it comes to optimizing their power bills. After all, refrigerators account for up to 7% of a home’s power bill.
More importantly, knowing your refrigerator’s wattage is important for choosing the right Solar generator for you. This ensures a seamless and sustainable power supply, enabling you to harness solar energy effectively and contribute to a more eco-friendly and self-sufficient energy solution for your home.
