How many watts does a refrigerator use?

Three numbers matter. Averaged over a day, the median ENERGY STAR top-freezer fridge uses 363 kWh a year, about 41 W, because the compressor cycles on and off. While the compressor runs, a modern fridge draws roughly 100 to 160 W: Embraco's 115 V household compressors draw about 90 to 162 W at their rating point, and NEEA's metering study logged about 120 W on a 2006 fridge. A frost-free fridge also runs a defrost heater for a short spell, with the compressor off; NEEA measured 425 W on that 2006 fridge.

How long will a 1,000 Wh power station run a refrigerator?

At the ENERGY STAR median of 363 kWh a year (41 W average) and the 85% conversion factor Jackery publishes, a 1,070 Wh Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 runs it about 22 hours. A fridge that uses more energy, such as the side-by-side median of 640 kWh a year, runs about 12 hours.

What size power station do I need for a refrigerator?

Capacity sets the hours. For output, cover the defrost heater, about 425 W measured on a 2006 fridge, and for start-up allow about twice the compressor's running watts, as GE and Whirlpool advise: about 320 W. Most 1 kWh stations clear both with room for the rest of an outage list. The rating plate on your fridge is a cautious upper bound, because it often includes heaters.

How long will a power station run your refrigerator?

The yearly kWh on the yellow EnergyGuide label sets the hours. The compressor's running watts, its start-up and the defrost heater decide whether a station can run it. The rating plate gives a cautious upper bound.

Last updatedOct 18, 2026

Energy useENERGY STAR certified-product data, read Oct 18, 2026

Compressor wattsEmbraco catalog and NEEA metering, read Oct 18, 2026

Your fridge and station

Your fridge

Type

Energy use per year (kWh)From the yellow EnergyGuide label. Starts at the ENERGY STAR median for this type

Running watts, compressor on (in watts)Starts at 160 W, the top of Embraco's 115 V household compressors. A plug-in meter reading beats it

Defrost heater (in watts)A short spell with the compressor off. 0 for a manual-defrost freezer

Rating plate amps (A)Optional. Amps × 120 V is a cautious upper bound that often includes heaters

How many (count)A second fridge or a freezer doubles the draw

Station

Power station example

Rated capacity (in watt-hours)From the maker's spec page

AC output, continuous (in watts)

AC surge (start-up) (in watts)Leave blank if the maker doesn't list it

Inverter and conversion efficiency (percent)Jackery's published runtime factor is 0.85

Share of capacity you can use example (percent)Depth of discharge

Result

Keep the door shut. The FDA says an unopened refrigerator keeps food cold for about 4 hours without power, and a full freezer holds its temperature for about 48 hours, 24 if half full (FDA). A station stretches that; it doesn't replace checking food temperatures.

Next: add the rest of your outage list, or see how fast solar refills this station.

Every station against this fridge

Sorted by capacity. Rows in gray can't start or run this fridge on paper. Prices are what each maker's US store showed on Oct 18, 2026.

Every station in our table against this load
Station	Capacity, Wh	Runs it for	AC output, W	Surge, W	Store price	Verdict

The watts a fridge really draws

Average (for the hours). The yellow EnergyGuide label gives estimated yearly electricity use in kWh. Divide by 8,760 hours to get average watts: 363 kWh a year is 41.4 W. That average already counts the compressor switching on and off and the defrost cycles.

Compressor running (for output). A fridge compressor is small. Embraco, one of the largest makers of fridge compressors, lists capacity and efficiency for each model at a standard rating point (−23.3 °C evaporating, 54.4 °C condensing). That point is harsher than a kitchen; capacity ÷ efficiency gives the power going in. For its 115 V, 60 Hz household models it comes to about 90 to 162 W, and we use 160 W. NEEA's metering of 104 Northwest homes logged about 120 W while the compressor ran on a 2006 20 cu ft fridge, and about 200 W on a 1995 one.

Embraco 115 V household compressors at the catalog rating point
Model	Capacity, W	Efficiency, W/W	Power in, W	Locked-rotor amps

Start-up. GE and Whirlpool both say to allow about twice the running watts for a refrigerator compressor to start, for a second or two: 320 W here. For a fraction of a second the current can spike toward the compressor's locked-rotor amps, 7.3 to 18 A on these models; a station's surge rating exists to absorb peaks like this. On a station with a small surge rating, test it before an outage.

Defrost heater. Frost-free fridges melt ice off the evaporator with an electric heater, typically about twice a day, with the compressor switched off. NEEA logged defrost spikes of 425 W on the 2006 fridge and 800 W on the 1995 one. It's brief and its energy is already in the yearly kWh, but the station's output has to cover it.

Rating plate (cautious upper bound). Amps × 120 V on the plate is the most the fridge is rated to draw, and it often includes the defrost heater and ice maker. GE notes that its rated watts usually include the defrost heater. Modern plates run from about 1 A to over 8 A:

Rating-plate figures from spec sheets we read, Oct 18, 2026
Model	Amps at 120 V	Rated W	Energy, kWh/yr

ENERGY STAR medians are of certified, efficient models; an older fridge often uses more energy and may have a larger compressor. Spec sheet energy figures are the maker's, and some of these models aren't ENERGY STAR certified.

How the hours are worked out

Hours = station capacity × share you can use × conversion efficiency ÷ (yearly kWh × 1,000 ÷ 8,760 × how many). The 0.85 factor is Jackery's published runtime formula (Jackery FAQ). Start-up = 2 × the compressor's running watts (GE, Whirlpool). The output check uses the larger of the running compressors and one fridge in defrost. With two fridges we assume only one compressor starts or defrosts at a time. Full sources are on Methods and sources.

Runtime calculator
Your fridge plus everything else you'd keep plugged in.
Sump pump backup
Hours of pumping from a station during a storm.
Station specs
9 stations: capacity, output, surge and store price.