How Much Energy Does a Mini-Fridge Consume? – What to Know
For many reasons, you may find yourself wanting to buy a mini-refrigerator. Whether it’s for your child who’s going off to college or you want a personal fridge in your room, a mini-fridge is a great compact solution for cooling your food and beverages.
Now, there are many factors that you need to consider when choosing a mini-fridge. First off, you need to determine how much you’ll be storing in it so that you can get the size that fits your needs. Another thing is the electricity that the fridge consumes. You’ll want to have a fridge that won’t take up an excessive amount of energy, or else you’ll end up with a monthly energy bill unnecessarily high.
For your guide, here are two basics in terms of mini-fridges’ power consumption.
Wattage
This is a measurement of energy’s conversion rate to electricity and is typically based on hours of usage. For starters, an average mini-fridge typically ranges from 85 watts to roughly 250 watts.
While you don’t need to compute for this since most fridges have a label that indicates its power usage, you can do so by following this formula:
VAC (Volts Alternating Current) x amps (Amperage) = watts
For instance, if your fridge lists 120 VAC and consumes 7 amps, the wattage usage of your fridge sits at 840 watts. It can increase when the door is left open. This is because the compressor will continuously run if the fridge doesn’t sense an optimal temperature, so that’s why you need to keep the door shut at all times.
Amperage
Amperage is defined as how strong the electric current is in amperes. The computation for amperage goes:
Watts / VAC = amps
If you have a mini-fridge that measures up to 250 watts and consumes a voltage of 120, the amperage sits around 2 amps, which is optimal for most common use and is the limit set by most dormitories.
Deciding on which mini-fridge to get
There are many kinds of mini-fridges in the market, and even if you already understand how much power they usually consume, deciding on which one to get is still relatively difficult if you’re trying to hit a balanced target.
The most important thing to remember when choosing one, however, is that newer models of mini-fridges are also using Energy Star technology. This feature greatly reduces the power consumption rate of the fridge. Older models consume more, so it’s best to get the latest ones instead of raking up on electricity costs over time.
Also, the smaller the fridge is, the lower the power it consumes. If you don’t really have a need for a bigger model, then stay with a smaller mini-fridge.
The good thing is that having a single mini-fridge will only increase your monthly electricity bills by around $5 to $10. That, of course, will add up once you get a second unit or more.
Conclusion
Mini-fridges typically consume lesser power compared to regular-sized refrigerators. That said, it’s important to check the wattage and the amperage of the unit, especially if you’re looking to buy more than one for your entire household.
If you’re looking for more information about mini-fridges, check out our site. We have various reviews and guides on different mini-fridges. Visit us to learn more!