What a refrigerator costs to run in Minnesota
Minnesota homes use 798 kWh a year on a refrigerator. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $69.25 to $129.20 a year across 24 published Minnesota plans — a $59.95 gap. Checked September 2, 2026.
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Every priced plan, average
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Heat Pump Service (E06)time-of-use · needs a heat pump | $44.92 | −$24.33 | 6.0¢ |
| Energy Controlled Service/Non-Demand Metered (E10 )-Residentialtime-of-use · needs controlled load equipment | $46.28 | −$22.97 | 6.2¢ |
| Energy Controlled Service Non-demand metered Residential (A05)flat rate · needs controlled load equipment | $58.08 | −$11.17 | 8.0¢ |
| Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Electric Space Heatingtime-of-use · needs electric heating | $66.37 | −$2.88 | 10.5¢ |
| Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Standard✓ cheapesttime-of-use | $69.25 | — | 10.9¢ |
| Residential Service (D01/D03) Standardtime-of-use | $70.48 | +$1.23 | 10.8¢ |
| Residential Service (D01/D03) Electric Space Heatingtime-of-use · needs electric heating | $72.92 | +$3.67 | 11.1¢ |
| Residential Service - Underground (E03) Electric Space Heatingtime-of-use · tiered · needs electric heating | $73.88 | +$4.63 | 10.6¢ |
| Residential Service Time Of Day - Overhead (E02) Electric Space Heatingtime-of-use · needs electric heating | $81.39 | +$12.14 | 11.5¢ |
| Residential Service Time Of Day - Undergound (E04) Electric Space Heatingtime-of-use · needs electric heating | $81.39 | +$12.14 | 11.8¢ |
| Residential Service Time Of Day - Overhead (E02)time-of-use | $85.63 | +$16.38 | 12.1¢ |
| Residential Service Time Of Day - Underground (E04)time-of-use | $85.63 | +$16.38 | 12.3¢ |
| Residential Service - Underground (E03)time-of-use · tiered | $88.20 | +$18.95 | 12.4¢ |
| Residential Service - Overhead (E01) Electric Space Heatingtime-of-use · tiered · needs electric heating | $88.20 | +$18.95 | 12.1¢ |
| Residential Service - Overhead (E01)time-of-use · tiered | $92.40 | +$23.15 | 12.6¢ |
| Residential TOD Underground Electric Space Heating (A04)time-of-use · needs electric heating | $109.32 | +$40.07 | 14.5¢ |
| Residential TOD Overhead Electric Space Heating (A02)time-of-use · needs electric heating | $109.32 | +$40.07 | 14.5¢ |
| Residential Service - Underground Electric Space Heating (A03)time-of-use · needs electric heating | $110.96 | +$41.71 | 14.7¢ |
| Residential Service - Overhead Electric Space Heating (A01)time-of-use · needs electric heating | $110.96 | +$41.71 | 14.7¢ |
| Residential TOD Underground Standard (A04)time-of-use | $119.46 | +$50.21 | 15.8¢ |
| Residential TOD Overhead Standard (A02)time-of-use | $124.16 | +$54.91 | 16.3¢ |
| Residential Electric Vehicle Service (A08)time-of-use · needs an electric vehicle | $127.30 | +$58.05 | 16.7¢ |
| Residential Service - Overhead Standard (A01)time-of-use | $129.20 | +$59.95 | 17.0¢ |
| Residential Service - Underground Standard (A03)time-of-use | $129.20 | +$59.95 | 17.0¢ |
Cost across usage levels
The cheapest plan at each consumption level, showing whether the ranking holds as usage changes.
- Lighter use — cheapest $45.08 (Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Standard), dearest $84.12, a $39.04 spread
- Average — cheapest $69.25 (Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Standard), dearest $129.20, a $59.95 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $84.65 (Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Standard), dearest $157.88, a $73.23 spread
What a refrigerator costs here
Across 24 plans priced in Minnesota, a refrigerator adds $69.25 to $129.20 a year — $5.77 to $10.77 a month. The median plan puts a refrigerator at $90.30 a year.
Cheapest for a refrigerator: 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 798 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 798 kWh a year across 325 sampled homes that run one, near the national 839 kWh. The middle half spans 519 kWh to 975 kWh, so a refrigerator varies by 456 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 — 100% of homes here.
That makes a refrigerator about 9% of the electricity a Minnesota home uses. The remaining 8,533 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.
By provider
On each Minnesota provider's cheapest plan: Northern States Power Co - Minnesota (North Dakota), $69.25; Northern States Power Co - Minnesota (South Dakota), $85.63; Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, $119.46.
Northern States Power Co - Minnesota charges $50.21 a year more than Northern States Power Co - Minnesota (North Dakota) on Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Standard for the same 798 kWh.
Light and heavy use of a refrigerator
A household in the lighter quarter runs a refrigerator for 519 kWh a year and pays $45.08 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 975 kWh and pays $84.65 — $39.57 more for a refrigerator 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.