Second Fridge Cost Calculator NZ
This calculator works out what an old second fridge or freezer is really costing you to run in New Zealand, and whether it is worth keeping switched on. Many households have a spare unit humming away in the garage or laundry holding little more than a few drinks, and because older appliances use far more power than modern ones, the yearly cost is often higher than people expect. You enter the fridge's energy use in kilowatt-hours per year, from its energy rating label or a plug-in power meter reading, your power price per kilowatt-hour, and the yearly energy use of an efficient replacement model. From those figures the calculator returns the cost to run the second fridge per year, broken down to a cost per week, what you would save by switching it off completely, and what you would save each year by replacing it with an efficient unit. That comparison makes it easy to see whether the convenience of extra fridge or freezer space is worth the ongoing power bill, or whether unplugging it or upgrading would pay for itself over time. Use it before your next power bill lands to decide whether that second fridge earns its keep. The results are an indicative estimate, and actual running costs can vary with the appliance's age, condition and how often the door is opened.
Old units use far more power than modern ones. If the fridge is rarely needed, switching it off is the simplest saving; if you need the space, an efficient replacement can pay for itself over a few years. Estimate only.
How it works
The calculator multiplies the fridge's yearly energy use by your power price to give the annual running cost, shown per week too. It also shows what you would save by switching it off entirely, and the yearly saving from replacing an old unit with an efficient one that uses far less power. For a fridge that holds little, those savings often make a strong case for turning it off or upgrading.
Worked example
An old fridge using 600 kWh a year at 28 cents costs about $168 a year, roughly $3.23 a week. Switching it off saves the full $168. Replacing it with a 250 kWh efficient unit would cut the cost to about $70, saving around $98 a year toward the new unit.
Related calculators
- Appliance Running Cost Calculator: any appliance.
- Electricity Cost Calculator: power costs.