How many watts does a mini fridge use?

Answer 1

The mini-fridge I have states the following as it's maximum power usage: 120 Volts @ 60Hz, and 0.75A The formula for power (watts) is: W = V * I However this is an AC system so you are actually computing VA (volt-amperes), but the difference in this case is negligible. So if we plug our numbers into the formula we get the following: W = 120 * 0.75A Which yields 90 VA which in this case can be taken as 90 Watts. This is about the same amount of energy as an standard light bulb. To compute the cost of the energy expended to power the fridge for a year when only on during working days with pre-cooling (7am to 5pm, monday to friday) you need to know the watt-hours. If we take the maximum energy expended as the 90 Watts computed above then: 90 watt-hours for every 1 hour the device is powered 10 hours per day, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year. 52 * 5 = 260 days 260 days * 10 hours per day = 2600 hours turned on Watt-hours in one year: 90 * 2600 = 234 kilo watt-hours If we assume an electricity rate of 10.22 cents per kilo watt-hour (this is what the power company where I live is currently charging), then in one year the cost to power the fridge is: 0.1022 * 234 = $23.92 Keep in mind that the amount of current listed that the device consumes is the maximum amount. Typically it will utilize less, which changes the cost to operate.