Cost to Run a Refrigerator in South Dakota

Running cost comes down to wattage, hours and your rate. In South Dakota the rate is 15.73 cents per kWh, which is 14.7 percent below the national average. Here is what that means for a refrigerator.

[hed_calc appliance=”refrigerator” rate=”0.1573″ title=”Refrigerator cost at South Dakota rates”]

Cost by hours used per day in South Dakota

Cost by wattage at 15.73 cents

Find the row matching the nameplate on your own unit. Within a single appliance category the spread is often wider than the difference between categories, so the label is worth reading.

What this means in South Dakota

This appliance runs on much the same schedule regardless of climate, so the figure above is a reasonable year-round estimate for South Dakota. What changes it is your own usage pattern rather than the weather.

Why South Dakota pays what it does

South Dakota is a regulated market, so your utility is the only supplier and the rate is set through the state commission rather than by competition. Pricing tends to be steadier than in deregulated states, and there is no switching decision available. The levers are all on your side of the meter.

At 15.73 cents, South Dakota ranks 21 of 51 from cheapest to most expensive. The Midwest regional average is 16.55 cents. Roughly half of any residential bill is transmission and distribution rather than generation, which is why rates keep climbing even when fuel prices fall.

How this compares across the country

The same refrigerator on the same schedule, in the cheapest and dearest states:

Lowering the number in South Dakota

• Vacuum the condenser coils yearly. Dust means heat cannot escape, so cycles run longer.
• Check the door seal with a dollar bill. If it slides out without resistance, the compressor is making up the difference all day.
• Set 37 to 40 degrees, freezer at 0. Colder than that is money spent on nothing.
• Move it out of a hot garage if you can. Ambient heat drives longer cycles.
• Retire a pre-2001 second fridge. Many utilities pay 50 to 100 dollars to haul it away.

Offsetting it with solar in South Dakota

This load uses about 1.20 kWh a day. Covering that would take roughly 1 standard 400 W panels at typical sun hours, an array of about 0.40 kW. Because it offsets electricity worth 15.73 cents rather than the national 18.44 cents, the same array is worth less here than the national payback figures suggest.

A fridge is the classic off-grid load because it runs day and night. Panels cover the daytime cycles and the battery has to carry every night without exception. Full sizing, including battery and inverter requirements, is on the solar sizing page for this appliance.

Questions people actually ask

[hed_faq]How much does it cost to run a refrigerator in South Dakota?About $0.02 per hour and $5.66 a month at 8 hours a day, using the South Dakota average rate of 15.73 cents per kWh.How many watts does a refrigerator use?Around 150 W while running, with a range of roughly 80 to 250 W depending on model and setting.Is that expensive for South Dakota?South Dakota electricity runs 14.7 percent below the national average, so this appliance costs $11.87 less per year here than it would at the US average rate.Can I lower this without replacing the appliance?Usually yes. Run time is the variable you control, and the hours table above shows exactly what each hour costs. Since South Dakota is regulated, shopping for a supplier is not an option, so usage is the lever.[/hed_faq]

Related

• South Dakota electricity rates and every appliance
• Refrigerator running cost in detail
• Solar panels needed to run it
• Cost to run any appliance in any state
• Electricity Cost Calculator