How Many Amps does a Refrigerator Use

Before selecting a refrigerator, the most important factor is how many amps it uses. So understanding power usage is important before you use it. In this tutorial, we will find the amps of refrigerators, but normally a refrigerator uses 725 watts of power and 10 to 20 amps. Let’s get started

What are refrigerator amps?

Refrigerator amps are the current drawn by the refrigerator for operating the compressor and providing cooling. current measured in amperes, and the current drawn is not constant due to the compressor on/off for the temperature setting.
Refrigerator amps means the current required for correct working.
The amperage for the refrigerator used at home is three to ten amps, and the voltage is 120 V. It needs 15 to 20 ampere circuits due to the high surge of amperes

How Many Amps Do Refrigerators Use

Normal refrigerators use 3 to 10 amps according to model types and size. Here are the refrigerator amps given for different models.

Mini Refrigerators

It is a small unit that consumes 1 to 2.5 amps in normal conditions. During startup surge, refrigerator amps are high, at 3 to 7.5 amps for a mini refrigerator.

Top-Freezer & Bottom-Freezer Refrigerators

For these conventional refrigerators, the amperage range is three to 6 amps, and startup current is 9 to 18 amps.

Side-by-Side Refrigerators:

The amp value for this refrigerator is 5 to 9 amps, and the startup surge for this model is 15 to 27 amps. since it is a larger size that uses more current. It comes with an ice maker and a water dispenser that get high current

French Door

It is a larger size and uses 6 to 10amps current. And its startup current is 18 to 30 amps, since it comes with a larger compressor and it needs high surges.

Commercial model

These models come in different sizes, and the current range is 10 to 30 amps

Read also What Are The Amps For 12 Gauge Wire?

Refrigerator	Running Amps	Startup Surge Amps
Mini / Compact	1 – 2.5A	3 – 7.5A
Top/Bottom Freezer	3 – 6A	9 – 18A
Side-by-Side	5 – 9A	15 – 27A
French Door	6 – 10A	18 – 30A
Commercial Units	10A+	30A+

Refrigerator Amps by Type

Refrigerator Type	Typical Power (W)	Voltage (V)	Running Current (A)
Mini refrigerator	50–100 W	120 V	0.4–0.8 A
Compact refrigerator	70–150 W	120 V	0.6–1.3 A
Standard refrigerator	100–250 W	120 V	0.8–2.1 A
Large refrigerator	150–400 W	120 V	1.3–3.3 A
French-door refrigerator	150–500 W	120 V	1.3–4.2 A
Side-by-side refrigerator	150–400 W	120 V	1.3–3.3 A
Commercial refrigerator	300–1,000+ W	120/230 V	Depends on voltage and design

Refrigerator Amps at Different Voltages

Power (W)	Current at 120 V (A)	Current at 230 V (A)
100 W	0.83 A	0.43 A
150 W	1.25 A	0.65 A
200 W	1.67 A	0.87 A
300 W	2.50 A	1.30 A
500 W	4.17 A	2.17 A
750 W	6.25 A	3.26 A

Refrigerator Energy Consumption and Daily Electricity Use

Average Power While Running	Operating Time per Day	Daily Energy Consumption
100 W	6 hours	0.6 kWh
150 W	8 hours	1.2 kWh
200 W	8 hours	1.6 kWh
250 W	10 hours	2.5 kWh
300 W	10 hours	3.0 kWh

How many amps does a startup refrigerator use?

Each model uses different startup currents, such as the 480W, which uses 24 amps of startup with 1440 watts, and the stable, which uses 4 amps.

Difference between Startup Watts and Running Watts

Startup watts

Startup watts are the power needed to start a refrigerator’s compressor. Startup watts are higher than running watts.
For example, a refrigerator with a running wattage of 170 gets startup watts of about 500 watts.
This high power usage is for a short time for starting refrigerator parts.

Running watts

Running watts power is used by the refrigerator when the compressor starts and other parts are in normal functioning mode. Running watts show the continuous power usage of the refrigerator, normally in the range of 100 to 1000 watts.

Difference between Startup Amps and Running Amps

Startup amps are also high current, as startup watts for starting the refrigerator. That normally lies between 5 to 7 times the normal running amps.
While running, amps occur regularly after startup amps that are less than startup current

Wire size for a refrigerator

In the USA, the normal used refrigerator wire size is a 15-amp or 20-amp circuit, and for kitchen homes, it uses 15- or 20-amp circuits.

Common wire sizes for refrigerators are

14-gauge wire = 15 amps
12-gauge wire = 20 amps
10-gauge wire = 30 amps

Your wire size has a greater ampacity than the devices demand for safety purposes. Such a refrigerator using 8 amps and 14-gauge wire having 15 amps) is a good choice.

12-gauge wire is preferred for the 20-amp circuit. The wire material for the refrigerator is copper

Factors Affecting Amps of Refrigerator

The refrigerator does not always use the same current for all conditions. Different factors work for drawing amps for refrigerators. Some common ones are

Compressor

Compressor working life and dimensions are important factors for drawing current. A more than ten-year-old compressor uses high amps compared to a new one since efficiency has reduced

Ambient Temperature:

Refrigerator working temperature also affects the ampere unit; at 35 degrees, it uses more amps compared to low temperature. Since the compressor works hard and takes more time to maintain temperature compared to the external.

Room door opening

If your room frequently experiences temperature variation in the refrigerator, that affects compressor startup. So the high startup current the fridge uses compared to running amps

Defrost Cycle:

New refrigerator models come with a defrost cycle that works after 6 to 24 hours. In this cycle, resistance heating equipment uses more watts.

Extra features:

The new advanced refrigerator model comes with new features such as cameras, a wifi connection, a touchscreen, and an ice dispenser that uses extra power with a compressor. The smart refrigerator that comes with the dispenser and ice maker uses up to 40 percent more amps than the other model of the same size.

How to Measure Refrigerator Amps

There are some steps to follow for measuring the refrigerator rating.

Rating

The first easy method is to find the reference amps and read the manufacturer details. This is written on the fridge nameplate or user manual. A new refrigerator model comes with an Energy Star rating that gives required details of energy consumption.
such as if the Energy Star rating of the refrigerator shows using 300 kWh in one year with a 120V circuit, that helps to find the daily amps

Amps From the Wattage

The second method is to find the refrigerator amperage with wattage and voltage details. Suppose a refrigerator uses 500 watts for one hour. How many amps are

Amps = Watts/Volts = 500W/120V = 4A

Power Meter

To get an accurate value of refrigerator power, use a power meter. To use a power meter, connect the power meter to the fridge outlet and connect the refrigerator to the meter.
The power meter gives the amps that are measured during practical conditions. According to the power meter, the type of power usage can differ during normal conditions