What a separate freezer costs to run in Michigan
Michigan homes use 508 kWh a year on a separate freezer. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $71.40 to $125.12 a year across 7 published Michigan plans — a $53.72 gap. Checked September 2, 2026.
Every priced plan, average
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Service Secondary Non-Transmitting Meter Rate (RSM)✓ cheapestflat rate | $71.40 | — | 15.3¢ |
| Residential Smart Hours Rate (RSH)flat rate | $71.40 | — | 15.3¢ |
| Residential Nighttime Savers Rate (RPM)flat rate | $71.40 | — | 15.3¢ |
| Residential Nighttime Savers Rate (RPM)time-of-use | $116.54 | +$45.14 | 24.2¢ |
| Residential Smart Hours Rate (RSH)time-of-use | $117.88 | +$46.48 | 24.5¢ |
| Residential Summer On-Peak Basic Service (RSP)time-of-use | $118.05 | +$46.65 | 24.5¢ |
| Residential Service Secondary Non-Transmitting Meter Rate (RSM)time-of-use · tiered | $125.12 | +$53.72 | 24.3¢ |
Cost across usage levels
The cheapest plan at each consumption level, showing whether the ranking holds as usage changes.
- Lighter use — cheapest $39.00 (Residential Service Secondary Non-Transmitting Meter Rate (RSM)), dearest $68.32, a $29.32 spread
- Average — cheapest $71.40 (Residential Service Secondary Non-Transmitting Meter Rate (RSM)), dearest $125.12, a $53.72 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $87.48 (Residential Service Secondary Non-Transmitting Meter Rate (RSM)), dearest $153.20, a $65.72 spread
What a separate freezer costs here
Across 7 plans priced in Michigan, a separate freezer adds $71.40 to $125.12 a year — $5.95 to $10.43 a month. The median plan puts a separate freezer at $116.54 a year.
Cheapest for a separate freezer: Residential Service Secondary Non-Transmitting Meter Rate (RSM), Consumers Energy Co. Dearest: Residential Service Secondary Non-Transmitting Meter Rate (RSM), Consumers Energy Co.
Those 508 kWh are billed at 14.1¢–24.6¢, against a 24.2¢ 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 0.4¢ per kWh.
What Michigan homes use
EIA's 2020 residential survey found 508 kWh a year across 164 sampled homes that run one, near the national 570 kWh. The middle half spans 277 kWh to 622 kWh, so a separate freezer varies by 345 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 — 42% of homes here, against 33% nationally.
That makes a separate freezer about 6% of the electricity a Michigan home uses. The remaining 7,863 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 277 kWh a year and pays $39.00 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 622 kWh and pays $87.48 — $48.48 more for a separate freezer on the same tariff.
Limits
A 2020 survey average for Michigan, not a measurement of any one home, priced against the 7 Michigan 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 42.9634, -85.6681.