Always-on appliances · Fridges and freezers
Your fridge stays plugged in all day. Its compressor does not necessarily draw full power all day.
You do not need to measure electrical power to begin. First look for the fridge's annual electricity units on its energy label or exact-model specification.
The easiest no-meter estimate is the energy label: find kWh/year and divide by 365. One kWh is one electricity unit. You do not need to convert it into kW. There is no single daily consumption figure that fits every fridge.
Start here: no new equipment needed
Find the number next to kWh/year or annual energy consumption. Use the example below.
Copy the exact model number from its accessible sticker or invoice. Look up that model on the manufacturer's official site or ask its support for annual kWh and the test standard.
Do not invent daily units. Start with free care tips; an appliance energy measurement is optional.
In Pakistan, NEECA's refrigerator label guide describes annual energy consumption and model information. The EU label guide also explains annual kWh. Label designs and test schemes vary, so do not compare stars or letters across different schemes.
Example 1: use an annual energy label
Imagine a fridge label shows 240 kWh/year. This is an invented label value for practice, not a market average.
The two monthly numbers differ slightly because one represents exactly 30 days and the other is one-twelfth of a year. For a bill comparison, use your actual billing period. Keep unrounded figures until the last step.
What if I have no annual label and no energy monitor?
Use the model-number route first. If no reliable annual figure exists, it is better to say the fridge's use is unknown than copy another model's number. You can still check seals, ventilation and unnecessary door opening without buying anything.
To follow household use, write down or photograph the accessible electricity meter's cumulative import kWh at the same time each day. A change from 12,340 to 12,350 means 10 units for the whole home. It does not mean the fridge used 10 units. Record peak/off-peak registers separately where present. Solar, UPS charging and other appliances also affect what the grid meter records. Never open the meter or wiring, or disconnect essential appliances for this exercise.
Optional: record fridge units with a suitable monitor
- Use a reputable plug-in energy monitor only if the fridge has an accessible compatible plug and the monitor is rated for its voltage, current and motor starting load. Follow both manuals; do not use improvised adapters. Ask a qualified electrician if unsure or fixed-wired.
- Read the monitor's cumulative kWh display. Note the date, time and starting number, or reset its energy total as its manual describes.
- Leave the fridge operating normally, maintaining safe storage, for seven complete days. Record the final cumulative kWh. Do not rely on one brief watts reading.
- Subtract start from finish, then divide by seven for average daily units. If supply was interrupted, record that and avoid treating it as an uninterrupted typical week.
Example notebook: Monday 9 am, 12.4 kWh; next Monday 9 am, 19.4 kWh. Difference: 7.0 units. Daily average: 1.0 unit. You never needed to measure kW.
Example 2: use that week of readings
Suppose a suitable monitor records 7.0 kWh over seven complete days. The daily average is 7 ÷ 7 = 1 unit. A 30-day projection would be 30 units if the conditions and pattern stayed similar.
This is a separate example, not a test of the fridge in the label example. Measurements and label estimates need not agree because room conditions, loading, door opening, settings and test methods differ.
| Information available | Daily estimate | 30-day estimate |
|---|---|---|
| 240 kWh/year label | 240 ÷ 365 = 0.658 units | 19.73 units |
| 7 kWh measured over 7 days | 7 ÷ 7 = 1 unit | 30 units |
Why not just use watts times 24?
Compressors can cycle or change output. Defrosting and other functions may also use energy. The power shown on an electrical rating plate is not automatically the average across a whole day.
For example, 150 W × 24 ÷ 1,000 gives 3.6 units only if the appliance actually averages 150 W throughout that period. It is not a conclusion you can draw from a 150 W label alone.
There is no need to guess a universal compressor duty cycle. A suitable energy measurement across several normal days can capture changing loads more directly. Choose a monitor rated for the appliance and its starting load, following its instructions.
What would those units cost?
For the separate measured example, 30 units at an illustrative PKR 50 per unit gives PKR 1,500 in energy charges. At an illustrative 0.30 per unit in another currency, it gives 9.00. These are not tariff quotes.
Use your applicable price and billing category. Slabs, peak/off-peak prices, fixed charges, taxes and adjustments can change the final bill. Dividing the total bill by its units does not always reveal the price of the next unit you could avoid.
Reduce avoidable use without risking your food
- Check that the door closes properly and the seal is intact.
- Keep ventilation space as specified in the manual. Avoid blocking required airflow.
- Follow the manufacturer's temperature and maintenance instructions.
- Keep door-opening time practical and position the fridge away from avoidable heat sources where feasible.
These points align with ENERGY STAR's refrigerator care guidance. Do not use nightly switch-offs as a bill-saving experiment. Maintain safe food storage. If you suspect a fault, get it checked rather than changing electrical parts yourself.
Should I switch the fridge off during Pakistan peak hours?
No: keep safe food storage operating. If your bill has peak/off-peak pricing, its time windows affect the price of electricity, not the fridge's need to maintain temperature. Do not shift all 24 hours of fridge use into an off-peak estimate. Check your supplier's current tariff notice and the peak/off-peak fields on your bill. An ordinary slab tariff is not automatically a peak-priced bill.
Enter daily units in the calculator
Choose a fridge in the bill and devices activity, then use Measured units per day. Enter 1 for the seven-day teaching example and set the billing period to 30 days. An annual label converted to a daily value remains a label-based estimate, so label the row accordingly rather than calling it measured.
Do not multiply daily units by 24 again. Also avoid adding this appliance subtotal to your whole-home bill units as if it were additional electricity. It is already part of household use.
Try it with your own numbers
Use your daily energy figure and billing days. Keep the fridge operating safely; the tool does not recommend switching off essential appliances.
Open the bill and devices calculator
For the basics, read our guide to appliance electricity units. You can also explore the energy and carbon calculator and its methodology and limits. No account is needed to calculate.
Will a bigger or older fridge always use more?
Size, design, condition and efficiency all matter. Compare the actual kWh/year for the capacity and function you need, then check representative use. Age alone does not measure consumption or justify replacing an otherwise useful appliance.
Calculation notes: Original teaching scenarios, checked 1 November 2026. Examples are not laboratory results, household averages or guaranteed savings. The label and measured examples describe different hypothetical cases.
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