What a separate freezer costs to run in Minnesota
Minnesota homes use 586 kWh a year on a separate freezer. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $50.95 to $95.00 a year across 24 published Minnesota plans — a $44.05 gap. Checked September 2, 2026.
Every priced plan, average
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Heat Pump Service (E06)time-of-use · needs a heat pump | $33.00 | −$17.95 | 6.0¢ |
| Energy Controlled Service/Non-Demand Metered (E10 )-Residentialtime-of-use · needs controlled load equipment | $34.08 | −$16.87 | 6.2¢ |
| Energy Controlled Service Non-demand metered Residential (A05)flat rate · needs controlled load equipment | $42.72 | −$8.23 | 8.0¢ |
| Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Electric Space Heatingtime-of-use · needs electric heating | $48.81 | −$2.14 | 10.5¢ |
| Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Standard✓ cheapesttime-of-use | $50.95 | — | 10.9¢ |
| Residential Service (D01/D03) Standardtime-of-use | $51.84 | +$0.89 | 10.8¢ |
| Residential Service (D01/D03) Electric Space Heatingtime-of-use · needs electric heating | $53.60 | +$2.65 | 11.1¢ |
| Residential Service - Underground (E03) Electric Space Heatingtime-of-use · tiered · needs electric heating | $54.32 | +$3.37 | 10.6¢ |
| Residential Service Time Of Day - Overhead (E02) Electric Space Heatingtime-of-use · needs electric heating | $59.84 | +$8.89 | 11.5¢ |
| Residential Service Time Of Day - Undergound (E04) Electric Space Heatingtime-of-use · needs electric heating | $59.84 | +$8.89 | 11.8¢ |
| Residential Service Time Of Day - Overhead (E02)time-of-use | $62.97 | +$12.02 | 12.1¢ |
| Residential Service Time Of Day - Underground (E04)time-of-use | $62.97 | +$12.02 | 12.3¢ |
| Residential Service - Underground (E03)time-of-use · tiered | $64.88 | +$13.93 | 12.4¢ |
| Residential Service - Overhead (E01) Electric Space Heatingtime-of-use · tiered · needs electric heating | $64.88 | +$13.93 | 12.1¢ |
| Residential Service - Overhead (E01)time-of-use · tiered | $67.96 | +$17.01 | 12.6¢ |
| Residential TOD Underground Electric Space Heating (A04)time-of-use · needs electric heating | $80.38 | +$29.43 | 14.5¢ |
| Residential TOD Overhead Electric Space Heating (A02)time-of-use · needs electric heating | $80.38 | +$29.43 | 14.5¢ |
| Residential Service - Underground Electric Space Heating (A03)time-of-use · needs electric heating | $81.56 | +$30.61 | 14.7¢ |
| Residential Service - Overhead Electric Space Heating (A01)time-of-use · needs electric heating | $81.56 | +$30.61 | 14.7¢ |
| Residential TOD Underground Standard (A04)time-of-use | $87.82 | +$36.87 | 15.8¢ |
| Residential TOD Overhead Standard (A02)time-of-use | $91.30 | +$40.35 | 16.3¢ |
| Residential Electric Vehicle Service (A08)time-of-use · needs an electric vehicle | $93.59 | +$42.64 | 16.7¢ |
| Residential Service - Overhead Standard (A01)time-of-use | $95.00 | +$44.05 | 17.0¢ |
| Residential Service - Underground Standard (A03)time-of-use | $95.00 | +$44.05 | 17.0¢ |
Cost across usage levels
The cheapest plan at each consumption level, showing whether the ranking holds as usage changes.
- Lighter use — cheapest $28.69 (Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Standard), dearest $53.44, a $24.75 spread
- Average — cheapest $50.95 (Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Standard), dearest $95.00, a $44.05 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $59.83 (Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Standard), dearest $111.60, a $51.77 spread
What a separate freezer costs here
Across 24 plans priced in Minnesota, a separate freezer adds $50.95 to $95.00 a year — $4.25 to $7.92 a month. The median plan puts a separate freezer at $66.42 a year.
Cheapest for a separate freezer: Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Standard, Northern States Power Co - Minnesota (North Dakota). Dearest: Residential Service - Underground Standard (A03), Northern States Power Co - Minnesota.
Those 586 kWh are billed at 8.7¢–16.2¢, against a 12.5¢ 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 3.7¢ per kWh.
What Minnesota homes use
EIA's 2020 residential survey found 586 kWh a year across 179 sampled homes that run one, near the national 570 kWh. The middle half spans 330 kWh to 689 kWh, so a separate freezer varies by 359 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 — 53% of homes here, against 33% nationally.
That makes a separate freezer about 6% of the electricity a Minnesota home uses. The remaining 8,745 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.
By provider
On each Minnesota provider's cheapest plan: Northern States Power Co - Minnesota (North Dakota), $50.95; Northern States Power Co - Minnesota (South Dakota), $62.97; Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, $87.82.
Northern States Power Co - Minnesota charges $36.87 a year more than Northern States Power Co - Minnesota (North Dakota) on Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Standard for the same 586 kWh.
Light and heavy use of a separate freezer
A household in the lighter quarter runs a separate freezer for 330 kWh a year and pays $28.69 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 689 kWh and pays $59.83 — $31.14 more for a separate freezer on the same tariff.
Limits
A 2020 survey average for Minnesota, not a measurement of any one home, priced against the 24 Minnesota 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 44.9778, -93.2650.