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Refrigerator Door Energy Loss Calculator

What does every door opening cost you?

Estimate the kWh and dollars wasted by frequent or long door openings. Based on ASHRAE infiltration measurements and the EIA US average residential electricity rate.

⏱ ~30 secASHRAE infiltration dataEnergy & Cost
Share
7%
Cold air lost
Per 10 sec (ASHRAE)
20–40
Openings / day
Typical household
$0.13
kWh
EIA US avg
70–80%
Full target
ENERGY STAR
STEP 01

Four inputs.
Real annual cost.

Per-opening loss = cabinet size × 0.7% × seconds open ÷ 10. Annual cost = annual kWh × your local rate.

sec
cu ft
$/kWh
EIA US average is currently $0.13/kWh.
Updates live as you type
Annual door-loss cost
$166/ yr
High impact — frequent openings are costing real money. Plan grabs in batches.
Yearly kWh lost
1,278
% over baseline
212.9%
Under the hood

ASHRAE infiltration. EIA rate.

Per-opening kWh draw is benchmarked from ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration infiltration measurements. Annual cost uses the EIA US average residential rate.

  1. 01

    Per-opening loss

    kWh per opening = cabinet cu ft × 0.007 × (seconds open ÷ 10). Reflects ~7% conditioned-air loss per 10 seconds.

  2. 02

    Annualize

    Daily = per-opening × openings/day. Annual = daily × 365.

  3. 03

    Convert to cost

    Annual cost = annual kWh × your $/kWh rate. EIA US average is $0.13.

  4. 04

    Compare to baseline

    Baseline ≈ size × 30 kWh/yr (rough). Loss % shows how much door habits add on top of running cost.

Questions

Frequently asked

ASHRAE Handbook—Refrigeration measurements show a typical residential fridge loses roughly 7% of its conditioned air per 10-second door opening, depending on door height, fill level, and ambient temperature.
Keep going

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Next step

Need a fridge that fights infiltration? Try counter-depth.

Browse counter-depth refrigerators at Fridge.com — shallower cabinets cycle cold air faster and many ship with door-in-door panels.

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