A typical home refrigerator uses between approximately 300 and 800 watts of power, with an average around 350 to 500 watts. However, the actual running wattage is usually lower because refrigerators cycle on and off throughout the day. On average, you can estimate the running wattage as about one-third of the rated wattage. For example, a 500-watt refrigerator might use about 167 watts when running continuously
. Key points:
- Average wattage range: 300-800 watts (some sources say 350-780 watts)
- Running wattage (actual power consumption when compressor is on) is roughly one-third of rated wattage
- Daily energy consumption is about 4 kWh for a typical refrigerator (e.g., 167 watts running x 24 hours)
- Factors affecting power use include fridge size, age, model, presence of ice/water dispensers, ambient temperature, and usage habits
In summary, expect a typical household refrigerator to use roughly 300-800 watts when running, with an average continuous power draw closer to 100-250 watts, translating to about 1-4 kWh of electricity consumption per day.
