Energy Consumption of Refrigerators
Key facts
- By 2015, 13% of standard refrigerators were 24.5 cu. ft. or larger.
- Although refrigerator volumes increased between 1990 and 2015, the average annual UEC of refrigerators dropped by 59%.
- To learn more about purchasing an energy-efficient refrigerator for your home, please visit our ENERGY STAR refrigerators page.
Average annual unit energy consumption
Refrigerators are available in a range of sizes and with a variety of features, all of which affect energy consumption. EnerGuide groups refrigerators by both refrigerator type and size. These groups allow the comparison of energy consumption among similar models.
From 1990 to 2015, the average annual unit energy consumption (UEC) of refrigerators dropped by 59%. Some factors contributing to this decrease include:
- Introduction of the minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) in 1995
- Subsequent amendments to the MEPS (2001, 2005, 2008)
- ENERGY STAR’s 2008 specification update, as manufacturers implemented further improvements in order to qualify for the new specification
Check out our publication Choosing and Using Appliances With EnerGuide (PDF, 934 KB) for more information.
Average annual UEC of refrigerators, 1990-2015 (kWh/yr)
Text version
Average annual UEC of refrigerators, 1990-2015 (kWh/yr)
| Model year | kWh/yr |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 956.2 |
| 1991 | 931.2 |
| 1992 | 901.7 |
| 1993 | 719.6 |
| 1994 | 650.4 |
| 1995 | 641.6 |
| 1996 | 640.4 |
| 1997 | 656.5 |
| 1998 | 653.4 |
| 1999 | 645.5 |
| 2000 | 638.8 |
| 2001 | 558.9 |
| 2002 | 506.0 |
| 2003 | 487.1 |
| 2004 | 477.7 |
| 2005 | 469.2 |
| 2006 | 481.0 |
| 2007 | 483.1 |
| 2008 | 467.3 |
| 2009 | 430.1 |
| 2010 | 424.9 |
| 2011 | 421.4 |
| 2012 | 416.4 |
| 2013 | 421.3 |
| 2014 | 411.1 |
| 2015 | 387.9 |
Refrigerator type
The popularity of different refrigerator types has implications for energy consumption.
The average annual UEC for refrigerators with a top-mounted freezer (Type 3) and refrigerators with a bottom-mounted freezer (Type 5) decreased significantly since 1990.
The average annual UEC for refrigerators with a bottom-mounted freezer and through-the-door ice service (Type 5A) and compact refrigerators (Type 11) decreased more moderately. The through-the-door option of Type 5A models contributes to extra energy consumption. Type 11 refrigerators consume the least energy and have little opportunity for improvements in energy efficiency.
Average annual UEC of refrigerators by type, 1990-2015 (kWh/yr)
Text version
Average annual UEC of refrigerators by type, 1990-2015 (kWh/yr)
| Type 3 (with top-mounted freezer) | Type 5 (with bottom-mounted freezer) | Type 5A (with bottom-mounted freezer and through-the-door ice service)* |
Type 11 (compact) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 947.4 | 1128.4 | 337.0 | |
| 1991 | 923.2 | 1140.0 | 337.0 | |
| 1992 | 873.5 | 1160.4 | 337.0 | |
| 1993 | 702.4 | 782.5 | 337.0 | |
| 1994 | 640.5 | 741.8 | 328.7 | |
| 1995 | 630.8 | 752.6 | 330.6 | |
| 1996 | 620.8 | 776.9 | 318.1 | |
| 1997 | 635.0 | 631.1 | 317.0 | |
| 1998 | 640.9 | 673.2 | 320.8 | |
| 1999 | 635.9 | 665.1 | 322.4 | |
| 2000 | 629.3 | 660.9 | 323.4 | |
| 2001 | 544.1 | 610.2 | 330.6 | |
| 2002 | 485.6 | 547.0 | 331.1 | |
| 2003 | 460.8 | 522.4 | 323.1 | |
| 2004 | 458.4 | 496.0 | 321.3 | |
| 2005 | 453.8 | 493.2 | 327.8 | |
| 2006 | 455.4 | 497.9 | 580.1 | 328.6 |
| 2007 | 453.5 | 490.8 | 572.7 | 328.3 |
| 2008 | 437.7 | 482.6 | 545.4 | 338.1 |
| 2009 | 424.4 | 462.9 | 560.0 | 318.1 |
| 2010 | 417.0 | 456.3 | 564.3 | 322.2 |
| 2011 | 417.1 | 454.6 | 542.0 | 297.5 |
| 2012 | 418.0 | 450.9 | 534.7 | 335.6 |
| 2013 | 415.0 | 448.0 | 534.6 | 278.1 |
| 2014 | 389.6 | 441.2 | 529.8 | 269.1 |
| 2015 | 336.3 | 434.6 | 528.8 | 234.6 |
Refrigerator size
The size of refrigerators shipped in Canada increased significantly from 1990 to 2015.
In 1990, only 8% of standard refrigerators had a volume of 18.5 cubic feet (cu. ft.) or larger.
But by 2015, 54% of standard refrigerators had a volume of 18.5 cu. ft. or larger, and 13 percent of them were 24.5 cu. ft. or larger.
Despite getting larger, the average annual UEC of refrigerators has decreased significantly since 1990. This change is the result of substantial improvements to the energy efficiency of larger refrigerators.
Distribution of standard-size refrigerators by volume, 1990-2015 (%)
Text version
Distribution of standard-size refrigerators by volume, 1990-2015 (%)
| 10.5–12.4 cu. ft. | 12.5–14.4 cu. ft. | 14.5–16.4 cu. ft. | 16.5–18.4 cu. ft. | 18.5–20.4 cu. ft. | 20.5–22.4 cu. ft. | 22.5–24.4 cu. ft. | 24.5–26.4 cu. ft. | 26.5–28.4 cu. ft. | 28.5–34.4 cu. ft. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 13.8 | 18.5 | 14.7 | 45.0 | 2.7 | 4.1 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 1991 | 14.6 | 11.3 | 14.6 | 49.1 | 5.6 | 3.4 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 1992 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 19.9 | 42.7 | 8.4 | 5.7 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| 1993 | 8.1 | 7.2 | 17.0 | 46.3 | 12.5 | 7.6 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| 1994 | 9.8 | 7.1 | 17.0 | 47.4 | 9.0 | 8.8 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| 1995 | 14.6 | 7.0 | 15.6 | 41.0 | 11.2 | 8.9 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| 1996 | 13.8 | 6.9 | 13.6 | 39.3 | 12.7 | 11.5 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| 1997 | 11.2 | 7.0 | 12.3 | 39.6 | 12.9 | 14.2 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| 1998 | 9.7 | 7.3 | 11.1 | 44.5 | 11.5 | 12.3 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| 1999 | 8.0 | 7.3 | 10.4 | 45.9 | 10.6 | 13.7 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| 2000 | 7.0 | 8.2 | 9.7 | 44.1 | 9.9 | 16.4 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| 2001 | 6.1 | 7.3 | 9.5 | 39.6 | 12.4 | 18.0 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| 2002 | 5.9 | 7.9 | 7.2 | 36.9 | 16.3 | 17.4 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 0.8 | 0.2 |
| 2003 | 4.1 | 6.4 | 9.0 | 38.8 | 16.5 | 17.7 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| 2004 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 11.6 | 41.6 | 15.2 | 16.9 | 3.1 | 4.6 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| 2005 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 10.4 | 44.8 | 16.3 | 14.8 | 3.1 | 5.4 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| 2006 | 3.7 | 2.6 | 10.0 | 41.3 | 17.8 | 14.7 | 3.6 | 6.3 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| 2007 | 3.3 | 2.3 | 8.9 | 40.5 | 17.6 | 14.9 | 4.0 | 8.4 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| 2008 | 4.0 | 2.3 | 6.5 | 40.1 | 22.4 | 12.6 | 4.8 | 7.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| 2009 | 5.4 | 1.7 | 7.1 | 40.8 | 22.6 | 10.5 | 5.0 | 6.4 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| 2010 | 5.2 | 1.5 | 6.3 | 39.7 | 23.0 | 11.3 | 5.1 | 5.9 | 1.1 | 0.9 |
| 2011 | 3.9 | 1.0 | 5.4 | 42.5 | 21.0 | 12.0 | 4.4 | 6.2 | 3.3 | 0.4 |
| 2012 | 5.3 | 0.9 | 5.3 | 38.2 | 20.7 | 12.9 | 4.6 | 7.5 | 3.9 | 0.8 |
| 2013 | 6.0 | 0.8 | 5.2 | 34.9 | 20.5 | 14.6 | 4.9 | 7.4 | 4.1 | 1.6 |
| 2014 | 5.8 | 0.8 | 8.2 | 31.3 | 16.4 | 17.6 | 6.2 | 7.2 | 3.0 | 3.5 |
| 2015 | 7.3 | 1.3 | 11.5 | 26.1 | 15.4 | 17.2 | 7.8 | 7.1 | 2.9 | 3.4 |
Average annual UEC of standard-size refrigerators by volume, 1990 and 2015 (kWh/yr)
Text version
Average annual UEC of standard-size refrigerators by volume, 1990 and 2015 (kWh/yr)
| Model year | Volume (cu. ft.) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.5–12.4 | 12.5–14.4 | 14.5–16.4 | 16.5–18.4 | 18.5–20.4 | 20.5–34.4 | |
| 1990 | 740 | 850 | 955 | 1067 | 1133 | 1138 |
| 2015 | 325 | 321 | 323 | 350 | 418 | 482 |
Annual energy consumption per volume
While the average annual UEC of refrigerators shipped between 1990 and 2015 decreased, the energy consumption per unit volume decreased even more because of the higher efficiency gains of larger refrigerators. In 2015:
- 92% of shipped refrigerators consumed less than 30 kWh/cu. ft. per year
- refrigerators in the lowest energy range (less than 20 kWh/cu. ft. per year) achieved a market penetration of 42%
Distribution of standard-size refrigerators by average annual UEC per cubic foot, 1990-2015 (%)
Text version
Distribution of standard-size refrigerators by average annual UEC per cubic foot, 1990-2015 (%)
| 10–19.9 KWh/cu. ft. per year | 20–29.9 KWh/cu. ft. per year | 30–39.9 KWh/cu. ft. per year | 40–49.9 KWh/cu. ft. per year | 50–59.9 KWh/cu. ft. per year | 60–69.9 KWh/cu. ft. per year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.8 | 4.8 | 18.9 | 74.4 |
| 1991 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.5 | 13.1 | 32.9 | 50.5 |
| 1992 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.9 | 33.2 | 41.0 | 19.8 |
| 1993 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 55.8 | 32.5 | 10.0 | 1.6 |
| 1994 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 72.6 | 22.9 | 4.1 | 0.0 |
| 1995 | 0.0 | 2.8 | 65.3 | 30.2 | 1.6 | 0.0 |
| 1996 | 0.0 | 6.7 | 60.7 | 31.6 | 0.9 | 0.1 |
| 1997 | 0.0 | 7.0 | 60.6 | 31.5 | 0.9 | 0.1 |
| 1998 | 0.0 | 6.2 | 64.8 | 28.2 | 0.8 | 0.0 |
| 1999 | 0.0 | 8.8 | 64.2 | 26.2 | 0.6 | 0.2 |
| 2000 | 0.0 | 12.9 | 60.6 | 24.9 | 1.0 | 0.5 |
| 2001 | 0.0 | 47.5 | 36.8 | 13.5 | 1.4 | 0.9 |
| 2002 | 0.0 | 68.2 | 28.2 | 3.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| 2003 | 0.1 | 81.6 | 16.2 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| 2004 | 0.4 | 86.3 | 11.5 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| 2005 | 0.6 | 91.5 | 6.9 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.6 |
| 2006 | 0.4 | 89.6 | 8.7 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
| 2007 | 0.4 | 90.7 | 7.9 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| 2008 | 3.1 | 85.7 | 8.2 | 2.6 | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| 2009 | 4.2 | 86.8 | 6.2 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| 2010 | 9.2 | 82.1 | 6.5 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| 2011 | 10.6 | 80.5 | 5.3 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 2.1 |
| 2012 | 9.5 | 78.4 | 6.1 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 3.9 |
| 2013 | 10.8 | 76.9 | 7.4 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 2.7 |
| 2014 | 23.8 | 65.6 | 5.4 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 3.4 |
| 2015 | 41.9 | 49.8 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 3.6 |