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About this tool
Estimate yearly fridge running cost from the BEE label's annual units, or from litres and star rating, adjusted for kitchen temperature.
This calculator turns a refrigerator's annual energy consumption — the kWh/year printed on its BEE label — into cost per day, per month and per year at your tariff, then adjusts for a kitchen warmer than the laboratory test condition of 32 °C. If the label is not to hand, it reconstructs the rated figure from gross litres and star rating, using specific consumption calibrated against published label values and roughly a 20% step between star bands. It also prices what a 5-star equivalent of the same size would cost to run.
Open Refrigerator Electricity Cost Calculator on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
Enter the values you already know.
Fine-tune the options to match your scenario.
Read the result and use it in your planning or reporting.
Uses the manufacturer's tested kWh/year figure when you have it, instead of guessing at wattage.
Corrects the laboratory figure for the average temperature the fridge actually stands in.
Shows the yearly cost of a 5-star model of the same size and the difference between them.
A 250 litre 3-star frost-free is typically labelled near 260 kWh a year, which is about ₹2,100 at ₹8 a unit, or roughly 30 W running continuously. A 5-star model of the same size is closer to 170 kWh a year, and a 190 litre single-door direct-cool around 150 kWh.
Yes. The label figure is measured at a fixed test ambient of 32 °C, and consumption rises as the surrounding air gets warmer — studies put the sensitivity somewhere between 2% and 6% per degree. A kitchen averaging 38 °C can therefore run roughly a quarter above the label figure.
Compare the yearly saving against the price difference. A 3-star to 5-star upgrade on a 250 litre frost-free saves roughly 90 kWh a year — about ₹750 at ₹8 a unit — so a ₹5,000 premium pays back in around six to seven years, which is within a fridge's normal life but not a quick win.
Leave at least 5–10 cm of clearance behind and beside the cabinet so the condenser coil can shed heat, keep it out of direct sun and away from the hob, let hot food cool before putting it in, and check the door gasket seals on a slip of paper. A worn gasket lets the compressor run far longer than the label ever assumed.
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