How Many Watts Does a Refrigerator Use? (And What Can Run It in an Outage)

A refrigerator doesn’t have one fixed wattage, because it pulls different amounts of power depending on what the compressor is doing. As a reference point, Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension’s version of the Energy Department’s appliance guide lists 725 watts for a 16 cubic foot frost-free refrigerator. That is a nameplate figure, meaning the most the fridge will draw, and since the compressor cycles on and off, the average over a day is much lower.

For outage planning, the numbers that matter are running watts, starting watts and watt-hours per day. Below is how to find each one for your own fridge and check it against a portable power station or generator. It’s worth doing before you need it, because a closed refrigerator keeps food safe for up to 4 hours once the power goes out.

The three numbers that matter

Watts are a rate, the power the fridge pulls at a given moment. Watt-hours are that rate over time, so something drawing 50 watts for 10 hours uses 500 watt-hours, and a kilowatt-hour (kWh) is 1,000 watt-hours. Power stations are rated in watt-hours for the energy they store and in watts for what they can deliver at once, so you need both kinds of number for the fridge.

How to find your fridge’s watts

Work down this list until you have a watts figure and a daily watt-hours figure you trust.

1. Read the nameplate. The U.S. Department of Energy says:

“The wattage of most appliances is usually stamped on the bottom or back of the appliance, or on its nameplate. The wattage listed is the maximum power drawn by the appliance.”

Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Estimating Appliance and Home Electronic Energy Use (energy.gov), accessed November 2026.

Write down the wattage, or the amps if no wattage is listed. Keep the word maximum in mind, because it comes back below.

2. If only amps are listed, multiply by the volts. The same DOE page explains:

“If the wattage is not listed on the appliance, you can still estimate it by finding the electrical current draw (in amperes) and multiplying that by the voltage used by the appliance. Most appliances in the United States use 120 volts.”

A label showing 5 amps at 120 volts, for example, works out to 600 watts. Those are example numbers, not your fridge. For a sense of scale, Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension’s version of the Energy Department’s appliance list gives 725 watts as the nameplate figure for a 16 cubic foot frost-free refrigerator. The DOE notes that sample wattages like this vary with a product’s age and features, so treat 725 as one example, not a number yours should match.

3. Check the EnergyGuide label for yearly use. If your fridge has an EnergyGuide label, the same DOE page says it “provides an estimate of the average energy consumption and cost to operate the specific model”. The label gives that estimate in kilowatt-hours per year, so divide by 365 for a daily figure. An example label of 500 kWh a year works out to about 1.4 kWh a day, or roughly 1,400 watt-hours. Write your own daily figure next to your watts.

4. Or measure it with a plug-in usage monitor. The fridge plugs into the monitor, the monitor plugs into the outlet, and the DOE says it displays the watts in use and, left in place, the kilowatt-hours. The same page adds:

“Monitors are especially useful for finding the amount of kWh used over any period of time for devices that don’t run constantly, like refrigerators.”

Read the monitor’s manual first, then leave it for a full day of normal use. The kWh reading is your real daily figure, and the watts it shows while the fridge runs are a running-watts number to compare with the nameplate.

Why the nameplate number overstates a day of use

A refrigerator is plugged in all day but not running all day. The Energy Department’s guide, linked above, gives this rule for estimating it:

“To estimate the number of hours that a refrigerator actually operates at its maximum wattage, divide the total time the refrigerator is plugged in by three. Refrigerators, although turned “on” all the time, actually cycle on and off as needed to maintain interior temperatures.”

The rule divides the hours, not the watts. Over 24 hours it estimates about 8 hours at maximum wattage. Take the example 600 watt nameplate from step 2: 600 watts for 8 hours is 4,800 watt-hours, or 4.8 kWh a day. If that same example fridge had an EnergyGuide label of 500 kWh a year, the label would put it at about 1.4 kWh a day, less than a third of the nameplate estimate.

That gap is why we treat nameplate watts times 8 hours as a ceiling, not an estimate of real use. Use the nameplate to check that a backup source can carry the load, and the EnergyGuide figure or a meter reading to work out how long it will last.

Starting watts: the burst backup power has to handle

When the compressor starts, a refrigerator needs a burst of extra power, often well above its running watts. The burst is short, but a power station or generator that can’t cover it can trip or stall. Look for your model’s startup figure in the owner’s manual, or ask the manufacturer. We couldn’t find a government figure for refrigerator starting watts, and the multiples quoted on other sites don’t agree with each other, so this guide won’t guess at one.

Because a refrigerator cycles on and off all day, the compressor starts many times, not just once when you plug it in. Each of those starts can land while other things on the same power source are already running. That’s why the generator example below adds the fridge’s startup burst on top of everything else that’s on.

If you’re weighing a generator and also want to charge phones or a laptop from it, our guide on whether a generator can damage electronic devices explains the inverter versus conventional question.

A worked example: sizing backup power for a fridge

Everything in this section uses made-up numbers so you can follow the arithmetic. Swap in your own.

Power station example. Say the EnergyGuide label reads 500 kWh a year.

• 500 kWh divided by 365 days is about 1.4 kWh a day, or 1,400 watt-hours.
• 1,400 watt-hours spread over 24 hours is an average of about 58 watts.
• Take a power station rated at 1,000 watt-hours. Some energy is lost converting battery power to household current, so not all of it reaches the fridge. We’ll assume 85 percent is usable, which is an assumption for this example, not a spec for any particular unit. That leaves 850 watt-hours.
• 850 watt-hours divided by 58 watts is about 15 hours.

Treat that as a rough guide, since door openings, room temperature and the fridge’s age all change the real figure. The unit’s output in watts also has to cover the fridge’s startup burst, not just the 58 watt average. If the hours come out well short of what you need, the choices are more watt-hours or a backup plan for the food, such as the cooler and ice USDA describes below. Our roundup of the best portable power stations for power outages compares actual units.

Generator example. A generator is sized in watts, not watt-hours. A common approach is to add up the running watts of everything that will be on at once, then check the moment the biggest startup burst lands on top of that. As a hypothetical, say the fridge runs at 150 watts and its manual lists a startup draw of 600 watts. You also want a few lights and phone chargers that add up to 200 watts.

• Steady load with everything on: 150 + 200 = 350 watts.
• The moment the compressor starts: the other 200 watts are still running, and the fridge briefly draws 600 watts instead of its usual 150, so 200 + 600 = 800 watts.

The generator has to handle that 800 watt moment, not just the 350 watt steady load. Here the 600 watts is the fridge’s total draw while starting. If your manual lists the startup figure as extra power on top of running watts, add the fridge’s running watts back in, which would make this 950 watts. The generator’s manual tells you what it can supply.

Generators also burn fuel for as long as they run, so if you plan on one, storing fuel for emergencies belongs in the plan. With your own numbers in hand, our generator and portable power station resources are a place to compare options.

How long the food lasts without power

Whatever backup you choose, the food starts losing time as soon as the power goes out. USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service gives the limits:

“Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed.”

“The refrigerator will keep food safe for up to 4 hours. If the power is off longer, you can transfer food to a cooler and fill with ice or frozen gel packs.”

“A full freezer will hold the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full).”

Source: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Keep Your Food Safe During Emergencies: Power Outages, Floods & Fires (fsis.usda.gov), accessed November 2026.

Keep the doors shut while you get backup power running. If the outage outlasts that window, our pages on how long food lasts in a fridge without power and keeping food cold during a long outage cover what to keep and what to throw out. For everything else in the first hours, see what to do when the power goes out.

Running a generator safely

If your backup is a generator, where you put it matters more than its size. The CDC says:

“Operate your generator outdoors more than 20 feet from windows, doors, and vents to avoid CO poisoning”

“Never use a generator inside your home or garage, even if doors and windows are open.”

“When using a generator, use a battery-powered or battery backup CO detector in your home.”

Source: CDC, Carbon Monoxide (CO) Poisoning Basics (cdc.gov), accessed November 2026.

Running a fridge from a generator that far away takes a long cord. Another CDC page says:

“Use an extension cord that is more than 20 feet long to keep the generator at a safe distance.”

Source: CDC, What to Do to Protect Yourself During a Power Outage (cdc.gov), accessed November 2026.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission, which describes generator exhaust as carbon monoxide you cannot see or smell, adds:

“NEVER use portable generators indoors or in garages, basements, or sheds. They should always be used outside well away from windows, doors, vents, or any other opening.”

“Always have a working CO alarm in your house.”

Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Generators and Engine-Driven Tools (cpsc.gov), accessed November 2026.

If you don’t have working CO alarms yet, our guide to carbon monoxide detectors is a place to start. For a battery power station, follow the maker’s manual for where and how to use it. Whatever you run, follow your local emergency officials and the equipment’s manual, call 911 in an emergency, and when in doubt, don’t.

Frequently asked questions

How many amps does a refrigerator use?

Check the nameplate, which may list amps directly. If it lists only watts, divide by the voltage, usually 120 in the United States. The 725 watt sample mentioned above works out to about 6 amps, but your own label is the number to use.

How many watts does a mini fridge use?

Use the same steps as for a full-size fridge: the label for watts or amps, and a plug-in meter for a day’s real use. The government sources we used give no sample figure for mini fridges, and the ranges quoted elsewhere vary.

Can a portable power station run a refrigerator?

It can, if its output in watts covers the fridge’s startup burst and its watt-hours cover the hours you need. The power station example above shows the arithmetic.

What size generator do I need to run a refrigerator?

Add the other loads that will be on to the fridge’s startup figure from its manual. That moment is the highest draw, and the generator has to handle it, as the generator example above shows.

Does a refrigerator use power all day?

It’s plugged in all day but cycles on and off. The DOE’s rule of thumb divides the hours plugged in by three to estimate hours at maximum wattage; a plug-in meter shows what your fridge actually uses.

Does an ENERGY STAR refrigerator use less power?

ENERGY STAR says its certified refrigerators are about 9 percent more energy efficient than models that meet the federal minimum standard. That’s a program-wide comparison, so for outage planning your own fridge’s label or meter reading is still the number to use.

Keep your numbers where you can find them

Once you’ve worked out your fridge’s running watts, starting watts and daily watt-hours, write them down with your other household details so they’re on hand when the power is out. Our family emergency binder has a warranties and serial numbers page where the fridge’s model details fit, and a power outage page with first steps, so both are on paper when the lights go out.