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 sec•ASHRAE infiltration data•Energy & Cost

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.

Openings per day

Seconds open per opening

sec

Fridge size

cu ft

Electricity rate

$/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.

01
Per-opening loss
kWh per opening = cabinet cu ft × 0.007 × (seconds open ÷ 10). Reflects ~7% conditioned-air loss per 10 seconds.
02
Annualize
Daily = per-opening × openings/day. Annual = daily × 365.
03
Convert to cost
Annual cost = annual kWh × your $/kWh rate. EIA US average is $0.13.
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.