Adding appliances to your electric grid can impact your household's efficiency, which you'd notice on increasing utility bills. If you want to put a chest freezer into the mix, you might wonder how many watts it uses -and how it might impact your electricity costs. We've researched this to find these answers for you.
Chest freezers generally consume 200-400 watts. The amount of energy used by your chest freezer is heavily influenced by the appliance's condition, the humidity of the location, and the temperature ambiance. This amounts to an additional $53 per year or $5 per month on your energy bill.
The wattage requirements for chest freezers vary depending on the freezer's type, size, and age. Getting a chest freezer may increase your energy consumption, so it's critical to understand your freezer's energy requirements, especially if you're considering purchasing one. Stay with us as we delve into how to keep your freezer energy efficient and more!
Chest Freezer Wattage By Freezer Size
Remember that your unit size and usage habits affect energy consumption and cost. The larger the chest freezer, the higher the power consumption costs. We've taken a closer look at chest freezer capacity and its relation to watts used below.
Compact/Small Chest Freezers
Compact and small freezers under five cubic feet typically use 1 amp or 100 watts of power. However, they use roughly six amps, or 700 watts, when starting up. The average annual energy cost in the United States is only $26–$63, or $2.16 per month, despite regional and state price variations.
Medium Chest Freezers
A medium-sized chest freezer under 16- to 18-cubic-foot will consume approximately 355 watts of energy, Costing you $53 annually or more than $4 per month, depending on numerous factors, including consumption habits.
Large Chest Freezers
Large chest freezers' power requirements range from 380 to 400 watts; some refrigerators and freezers, however, may use 700 watts, which can add an average of $67 to your energy bill. You obtain a monthly energy cost of a little over $5 when you divide that by 12 months.
How can I make my chest freezer more energy efficient?
Numerous practical and energy-saving features are included in many energy-efficient chest freezers. By selecting a freezer with efficiency in mind, you can keep the contents fresh without significantly increasing your operating costs.
Freezer Locks
These locks contribute to energy conservation, despite their appearance. Think of the 120 kWh that a refrigerator loses each year due to an open door. A freezer lock reduces the chance that your door can accidentally be left empty. As a result, you won't have to pay for unused energy.
Self-defrosting
These appliances prevent your freezer from filling up with frost and ice. Ice and frost make it more difficult for food to maintain its ideal temperature. Therefore, this is crucial. They increase the electricity your freezer needs to operate normally, and you pay the price. This might be avoided with an automatic defrosting freezer.
Energy Star Certification
Top chest freezers have this accreditation since they bear the Energy Star label. An energy star chest freezer costs, on average, $53 a year, which is $50 less than the majority of older versions.
Can I plug a chest freezer into a surge protector?
People utilize power strips when there aren't enough outlets near their appliances. Power strips can manage virtual devices like laptops and phone chargers, but can they accommodate freezers?
A chest freezer’s electricity is excessive, especially when it turns on and off repeatedly. They finally overwhelm a surge protector because of this. As a result, a freezer cannot be plugged into a power surge protector.
Additionally, the compressor will switch down in the event of a power surge and is sensitive to temperature and current overloads. When connected to the surge protector, your refrigerator might not operate if there is a power surge, which could cause food spoilage.
Is a chest freezer more efficient than an upright one?
Although a small family may be able to store enough frozen food in an upright refrigerator, a chest freezer can be pretty helpful. In the long run, it might even cost you less money.
The type of freezer perfect for you will depend on your individual needs. While some individuals keep seasonal food and meat or specialty and seasonal baking in an upright freezer, others choose a chest freezer for regular frozen goods.
Here are some pros and cons you may consider before deciding which freezer best suits your preference:
Upright Freezers
- Take up less space.
- They typically have a variety of designs.
- Since upright freezers include shelves, foods are simpler to arrange.
- Despite being useful, door shelves frequently have a warmer temperature than the freezer's interior.
- Compared to chest freezers, uprights often make more noise.
Chest Freezers
- As compared to upright freezers, chest freezers offer more usable space.
- Air doesn't move around as much. Unlike uprights, this prevents the freezer burn better.
- A chest freezer can keep your food frozen longer than an upright freezer if there is a power outage.
- They often consume less electricity than uprights.
- It can be tough to locate the food you need in chest storage.
How many solar panels do I need to run a freezer?
Solar energy is growing in popularity, mainly for powering electrically-powered home equipment like refrigerators and freezers. If you want sustainable energy to run your freezer, you must know how to set up the proper solar power system.
How much solar energy your solar panels produce depends on several factors, including the boards themselves, your setup, and the weather. The average household solar panel produces at least 250 watts at its highest output.
You can produce about 375 watts on a typical sunny day with 5 hours of sunshine. This is because a 100-watt solar panel can only have 75 watts of electricity every hour. Therefore, if you want to create 3,400 watts-hours over four days, you'll need 8–10 panels at 100-watts each of solar to power the freezer.
To Conclude
Freezers come in different shapes, sizes, and styles but have varying power requirements. Some models also consume less energy than others.
You may need to make a substantial financial investment if you're building a solar-powered system from scratch, depending on how many solar panels, batteries, inverters, and controllers you'll need. It functions effectively in regions with regular power outages, even though it might not be an excellent financial decision for everyone.
We've taken a closer look at some other "cool" appliances, to help you troubleshoot and maintain their best efficiency: