What a refrigerator costs to run in Massachusetts
Massachusetts homes use 701 kWh a year on a refrigerator. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $67.20 to $237.24 a year across 39 published Massachusetts plans — a $170.04 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 | $63.36 | −$3.84 | 10.3¢ |
| Cambridge Electric Light Company Residential Space Heating R-3 (04)flat rate · needs electric heating | $63.36 | −$3.84 | 10.3¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)✓ cheapestflat rate | $67.20 | — | 10.8¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A2 (R-2) with electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $67.20 | — | 10.8¢ |
| Cambridge Electric Light Company Residential R-1 (01)flat rate | $67.20 | — | 10.8¢ |
| South Shore Residential R-1 Annual BS (32)flat rate | $67.20 | — | 10.8¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard Residential Space Heating R-3 BS (86)flat rate · needs electric heating | $72.72 | +$5.52 | 11.5¢ |
| Western Massachusetts Residential Space Heating Low Income Rate R-4flat rate · low-income rate | $76.92 | +$9.72 | 12.1¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Space Heating Low Income Rate R-4flat rate · low-income rate | $78.00 | +$10.80 | 12.3¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha Vineyard Residential R-1 Annual CLC (32)flat rate | $79.08 | +$11.88 | 12.4¢ |
| Western Massachusetts Residential Discount Rate (R-2)flat rate · assistance rate | $87.60 | +$20.40 | 13.7¢ |
| Western Massachusetts Residential Space Heating R-3 (A4)flat rate · needs electric heating | $88.08 | +$20.88 | 13.7¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Discount Rate (R-2)flat rate · assistance rate | $89.04 | +$21.84 | 13.9¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Space Heating R-3flat rate · needs electric heating | $89.40 | +$22.20 | 13.9¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Rate (R-1)flat rate | $100.32 | +$33.12 | 15.5¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Space Heating R-3flat rate · needs electric heating | $112.32 | +$45.12 | 17.7¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Space Heating Low Income Rate R-4flat rate · low-income rate | $112.32 | +$45.12 | 17.7¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Rate (R-1)flat rate | $116.64 | +$49.44 | 18.3¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Discount Rate (R-2)flat rate · assistance rate | $116.64 | +$49.44 | 18.3¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard Residential Space Heating R-3 BS (86)flat rate · needs electric heating | $167.76 | +$100.56 | 25.1¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A4 (R-3) without electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $172.92 | +$105.72 | 25.9¢ |
| Cambridge Electric Light Company Residential Space Heating R-3 (04)flat rate · needs electric heating | $172.92 | +$105.72 | 25.9¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha Vineyard Residential R-1 Annual CLC (32)flat rate | $174.24 | +$107.04 | 26.0¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)flat rate | $176.76 | +$109.56 | 26.5¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A2 (R-2) with electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $176.76 | +$109.56 | 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 $237.24 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 $42.60 (Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)), dearest $150.48, a $107.88 spread
- Average — cheapest $67.20 (Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)), dearest $237.24, a $170.04 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $79.92 (Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)), dearest $282.00, a $202.08 spread
What a refrigerator costs here
Across 39 plans priced in Massachusetts, a refrigerator adds $67.20 to $237.24 a year — $5.60 to $19.77 a month. The median plan puts a refrigerator at $174.24 a year.
Cheapest for a refrigerator: Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1), NSTAR Electric Company. Dearest: Cape Cod Residential Rate (R-1), NSTAR Electric Company.
Those 701 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 701 kWh a year across 549 sampled homes that run one, 17% under the national 839 kWh. The middle half spans 445 kWh to 833 kWh, so a refrigerator varies by 388 kWh between one household and another.
Every refrigerator in the home, including a second one in a garage or basement. That average covers homes with a refrigerator — 99% of homes here.
That makes a refrigerator about 10% of the electricity a Massachusetts home uses. The remaining 6,536 kWh is what a refrigerator 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 refrigerator
A household in the lighter quarter runs a refrigerator for 445 kWh a year and pays $42.60 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 833 kWh and pays $79.92 — $37.32 more for a refrigerator 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.