What a separate freezer costs to run in Massachusetts
Massachusetts homes use 450 kWh a year on a separate freezer. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $43.08 to $152.40 a year across 39 published Massachusetts plans — a $109.32 gap. Checked September 2, 2026.
Cheapest 25 of 39 priced plans, average
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A4 (R-3) without electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $40.68 | −$2.40 | 10.3¢ |
| Cambridge Electric Light Company Residential Space Heating R-3 (04)flat rate · needs electric heating | $40.68 | −$2.40 | 10.3¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)✓ cheapestflat rate | $43.08 | — | 10.8¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A2 (R-2) with electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $43.08 | — | 10.8¢ |
| Cambridge Electric Light Company Residential R-1 (01)flat rate | $43.08 | — | 10.8¢ |
| South Shore Residential R-1 Annual BS (32)flat rate | $43.08 | — | 10.8¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard Residential Space Heating R-3 BS (86)flat rate · needs electric heating | $46.68 | +$3.60 | 11.5¢ |
| Western Massachusetts Residential Space Heating Low Income Rate R-4flat rate · low-income rate | $49.44 | +$6.36 | 12.1¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Space Heating Low Income Rate R-4flat rate · low-income rate | $50.04 | +$6.96 | 12.3¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha Vineyard Residential R-1 Annual CLC (32)flat rate | $50.88 | +$7.80 | 12.4¢ |
| Western Massachusetts Residential Discount Rate (R-2)flat rate · assistance rate | $56.28 | +$13.20 | 13.7¢ |
| Western Massachusetts Residential Space Heating R-3 (A4)flat rate · needs electric heating | $56.52 | +$13.44 | 13.7¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Discount Rate (R-2)flat rate · assistance rate | $57.12 | +$14.04 | 13.9¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Space Heating R-3flat rate · needs electric heating | $57.36 | +$14.28 | 13.9¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Rate (R-1)flat rate | $64.44 | +$21.36 | 15.5¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Space Heating R-3flat rate · needs electric heating | $72.12 | +$29.04 | 17.7¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Space Heating Low Income Rate R-4flat rate · low-income rate | $72.12 | +$29.04 | 17.7¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Rate (R-1)flat rate | $74.88 | +$31.80 | 18.3¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Discount Rate (R-2)flat rate · assistance rate | $74.88 | +$31.80 | 18.3¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard Residential Space Heating R-3 BS (86)flat rate · needs electric heating | $107.76 | +$64.68 | 25.1¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A4 (R-3) without electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $111.12 | +$68.04 | 25.9¢ |
| Cambridge Electric Light Company Residential Space Heating R-3 (04)flat rate · needs electric heating | $111.12 | +$68.04 | 25.9¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha Vineyard Residential R-1 Annual CLC (32)flat rate | $111.96 | +$68.88 | 26.0¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)flat rate | $113.52 | +$70.44 | 26.5¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A2 (R-2) with electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $113.52 | +$70.44 | 26.5¢ |
14 further schedules are published and priced but not listed here — mostly regional and seasonal variants of the plans above. The dearest of them costs $152.40 a year at this usage.
Cost across usage levels
The cheapest plan at each consumption level, showing whether the ranking holds as usage changes.
- Lighter use — cheapest $26.40 (Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)), dearest $93.24, a $66.84 spread
- Average — cheapest $43.08 (Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)), dearest $152.40, a $109.32 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $52.32 (Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)), dearest $184.92, a $132.60 spread
What a separate freezer costs here
Across 39 plans priced in Massachusetts, a separate freezer adds $43.08 to $152.40 a year — $3.59 to $12.70 a month. The median plan puts a separate freezer at $111.96 a year.
Cheapest for a separate freezer: Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1), NSTAR Electric Company. Dearest: Cape Cod Residential Rate (R-1), NSTAR Electric Company.
Those 450 kWh are billed at 9.6¢–33.9¢, against a 26.0¢ whole-bill average on the median plan: they land in the last tier the household reaches, so the average rate understates them by up to 7.8¢ per kWh.
What Massachusetts homes use
EIA's 2020 residential survey found 450 kWh a year across 124 sampled homes that run one, 21% under the national 570 kWh. The middle half spans 276 kWh to 546 kWh, so a separate freezer varies by 271 kWh between one household and another.
A standalone chest or upright freezer, not the freezer compartment of a fridge. That average covers homes with a separate freezer — 22% of homes here, against 33% nationally.
That makes a separate freezer about 6% of the electricity a Massachusetts home uses. The remaining 6,787 kWh is what a separate freezer is billed on top of, and on a tiered or time-of-use plan that is what sets the rate it meets.
Light and heavy use of a separate freezer
A household in the lighter quarter runs a separate freezer for 276 kWh a year and pays $26.40 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 546 kWh and pays $52.32 — $25.92 more for a separate freezer on the same tariff.
Limits
A 2020 survey average for Massachusetts, not a measurement of any one home, priced against the 39 Massachusetts tariffs WattClear has ingested — not every plan sold there.
New to these terms? The methodology page explains tiered bands, time-of-use periods and fixed charges, and sets out exactly what the rate engine assumes.
Estimate — your actual bill may differ.
Tariff structures from NREL/OpenEI Utility Rate Database (CC0 1.0), retrieved September 2, 2026.
Location resolved through the US Census Bureau Geocoder (Public domain) at 42.3601, -71.0589.