U.S. residential electricity EIA data: July 2026 US average 18.3¢/kWh Updated
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Kitchen · Arkansas

How Much Does It Cost to Run a Refrigerator in Arkansas?

The short answer

Running a refrigerator around the clock in Arkansas costs about $5.49 a month ($0.18 a day), based on a typical 150W unit using 1.26 kWh a day.

The estimate uses Arkansas’s average residential electricity price of 14.3¢/kWh from EIA (July 2026) — 22% below the national average.

Source: U.S. EIA, July 2026 data · Updated

Refrigerator cost by size and efficiency in Arkansas

Cost at 14.3¢/kWh, the Arkansas average (EIA, Jul 2026)
ModelkWh/monthPer dayPer monthPer year
Efficient (100W) 25.6 $0.12 $3.66 $43.94
Typical (150W) 38.3 $0.18 $5.49 $65.90
Older / large (250W) 63.9 $0.30 $9.15 $110

Arkansas vs other states

At typical use, a refrigerator costs $65.90 a year in Arkansas — $155 less than in Hawaii and $7.40 more than in Louisiana.

Arkansas has the 9th-cheapest residential electricity of the 50 states and DC. Arkansas electricity rates · all states ranked

Electricity price trend in Arkansas

14.3¢/kWh in July 2026 — ▲ +8.1% from a year earlier.

How to lower the cost of running a refrigerator

Your refrigerator is one of the few appliances that never turns off, but it doesn't draw its rated wattage all day. The compressor cycles on and off to hold temperature, running roughly 30–40% of the time in a typical kitchen. That is why we apply a duty cycle: a 150W fridge at 35% uses about 1.26 kWh a day. Older refrigerators (pre-2001) and second fridges in hot garages can use two to three times more.

  • Set the fridge to 37–40°F and the freezer to 0°F — colder settings waste energy.
  • Vacuum the condenser coils once or twice a year.
  • Retire an old second fridge in the garage — it can cost more per year than a new one.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How much does a refrigerator cost to run per year in Arkansas?

A typical 150W refrigerator uses about 460 kWh a year, which costs about $65.90 at Arkansas’s average rate of 14.3¢/kWh.

How many kWh does a refrigerator use per month?

At running 24/7, a typical refrigerator uses about 38.3 kWh a month. In Arkansas that costs $5.49.

Is it expensive to run a refrigerator in Arkansas?

Arkansas has the 9th-cheapest residential electricity of the 50 states and DC at 14.3¢/kWh — one of the cheapest. Running a refrigerator here costs about $65.90 a year at typical use, compared with $84.21 at the national average rate.

What is the electricity rate in Arkansas right now?

The average residential electricity rate in Arkansas was 14.3¢ per kWh in July 2026, according to the latest EIA data — up 8.1% from a year earlier.

How many kWh does a refrigerator use per day?

A modern full-size refrigerator typically uses 1–1.7 kWh per day (about 400–600 kWh per year). Older models can use 3 kWh or more per day.

Refrigerator costs in nearby states

Cheapest and priciest states

Comparisons

Sources & method