What a separate freezer costs to run in North Carolina
North Carolina homes use 588 kWh a year on a separate freezer. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $51.32 to $85.73 a year across 33 published North Carolina plans — a $34.41 gap. Checked September 2, 2026.
Cheapest 25 of 31 priced plans, average
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Service All Energy Time-of-Use (R-TOUE-38) Single Phase✓ cheapesttime-of-use | $51.32 | — | 9.7¢ |
| Residential Service All Energy Time-of-Use (R-TOUE-38) Three Phasetime-of-use | $51.32 | — | 10.5¢ |
| RT (Residential Service Time of Use)time-of-use · demand charge | $56.80 | +$5.48 | 11.0¢ |
| Residential Time Of Use Schedule (R-TOUD) - Three Phasetime-of-use · demand charge | $57.42 | +$6.10 | 12.1¢ |
| RETC (Residential Service All-Electric Time of Use with Critical Peak Pricing))time-of-use · needs an all-electric home | $62.26 | +$10.94 | 11.9¢ |
| Residential Service Time-of-Use (R-TOUD-55) Three Phasetime-of-use · demand charge | $64.59 | +$13.27 | 13.3¢ |
| ES (Residential Service Energy Star, All-Electric)time-of-use · tiered · needs an all-electric home | $64.91 | +$13.59 | 12.9¢ |
| Residential Service Time-of-Use (R-TOUD-55) Single Phasetime-of-use · demand charge | $65.50 | +$14.18 | 12.5¢ |
| RSTC (Residential Service Time of Use with Critical Peak Pricing)time-of-use | $66.11 | +$14.79 | 12.6¢ |
| RE (Residential Electric Water Heating and Space Conditioning)time-of-use · tiered · needs electric heating | $68.18 | +$16.86 | 13.5¢ |
| ES (Residential Service Energy Star, Standard)flat rate · needs qualifying appliances | $71.40 | +$20.08 | 13.5¢ |
| Residential Service Energy Star All-Electric EStiered · needs an all-electric home | $72.24 | +$20.92 | 12.9¢ |
| RS (Residential Service)flat rate | $75.12 | +$23.80 | 14.1¢ |
| Residential Electric Water Heating and Space Conditioning - REtiered · needs electric heating | $76.44 | +$25.12 | 13.6¢ |
| Residential Service Energy Star Standard EStiered · needs qualifying appliances | $78.24 | +$26.92 | 13.9¢ |
| Residential Time of Use with Critical Peak Pricing (R-TOU-CPP) Single Phasetime-of-use | $78.69 | +$27.37 | 14.9¢ |
| Residential Time of Use with Critical Peak Pricing (R-TOU-CPP) Three Phasetime-of-use | $78.69 | +$27.37 | 15.8¢ |
| Residential Time of Use EV(R-TOU-EV) Single Phasetime-of-use · needs an electric vehicle | $79.68 | +$28.36 | 15.1¢ |
| Residential Time of Use EV(R-TOU-EV) Three Phasetime-of-use · needs an electric vehicle | $79.68 | +$28.36 | 15.9¢ |
| Residential Service Time-of-Use with Critical Peak Pricing(R-TOU-CPP) Single Phasetime-of-use | $81.88 | +$30.56 | 15.3¢ |
| Residential Service Time-of-Use with Critical Peak Pricing(R-TOU-CPP) Three Phasetime-of-use | $81.88 | +$30.56 | 16.2¢ |
| Residential Service RB; Closed Ratetiered · closed to new customers | $82.44 | +$31.12 | 14.7¢ |
| Residential Service - Three Phasetime-of-use · tiered | $82.64 | +$31.32 | 16.9¢ |
| Residential - RS (SC)tiered | $82.68 | +$31.36 | 14.6¢ |
| Residential Time of Use (R-TOU) Three Phasetime-of-use | $82.75 | +$31.43 | 16.4¢ |
6 further schedules are published and priced but not listed here — mostly regional and seasonal variants of the plans above. The dearest of them costs $85.73 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 $32.27 (Residential Service All Energy Time-of-Use (R-TOUE-38) Single Phase), dearest $53.94, a $21.67 spread
- Average — cheapest $51.32 (Residential Service All Energy Time-of-Use (R-TOUE-38) Single Phase), dearest $85.73, a $34.41 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $62.04 (Residential Service All Energy Time-of-Use (R-TOUE-38) Single Phase), dearest $103.63, a $41.59 spread
What a separate freezer costs here
Across 31 plans priced in North Carolina, a separate freezer adds $51.32 to $85.73 a year — $4.28 to $7.14 a month. The median plan puts a separate freezer at $81.88 a year.
Cheapest for a separate freezer: Residential Service All Energy Time-of-Use (R-TOUE-38) Single Phase, Progress Energy Carolinas Inc (South Carolina). Dearest: Residential Service (RES-55) Three Phase, Progress Energy Carolinas Inc (South Carolina).
Those 588 kWh are billed at 8.7¢–14.6¢, against a 15.3¢ whole-bill average on the median plan, so on these plans the two rates are close.
What North Carolina homes use
EIA's 2020 residential survey found 588 kWh a year across 148 sampled homes that run one, near the national 570 kWh. The middle half spans 370 kWh to 711 kWh, so a separate freezer varies by 341 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 — 31% of homes here.
That makes a separate freezer about 5% of the electricity a North Carolina home uses. The remaining 11,910 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 North Carolina provider's cheapest plan: Progress Energy Carolinas Inc (South Carolina), $51.32; Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, $56.80; Progress Energy Carolinas Inc, $57.42; Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (South Carolina), $82.68.
Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (South Carolina) charges $31.36 a year more than Progress Energy Carolinas Inc (South Carolina) on Residential Service All Energy Time-of-Use (R-TOUE-38) Single Phase for the same 588 kWh.
Light and heavy use of a separate freezer
A household in the lighter quarter runs a separate freezer for 370 kWh a year and pays $32.27 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 711 kWh and pays $62.04 — $29.77 more for a separate freezer on the same tariff.
Limits
A 2020 survey average for North Carolina, not a measurement of any one home, priced against the 33 North Carolina 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 35.2271, -80.8431.