Station Circular 392
OPERATING COSTS OF HOME
March, 1953
FREEZERS
by
G. W. Isaacs,' Gail M. Redfieldi i 2 and J. W. Hicks3
QUESTIONS commonly asked concerning the costs of home Iree/ers are:
1.	How much docs it cost to operate my home freezer?
2.	How much will operating costs be affected by the amount of food which is frozen and stored?
3.	What size home freezer should I buy?
4.	Where should my freezer be located?
5.	What are the other costs of owning and operating a home, freezer?
Answers to the above questions are given below, followed by a brief summary of test data upon which the answers and recommendations are based.
1.	Hoxe much does it cost to operate my home freezer?
The operating cost of a home fieezer primarily depends upon the amount of electricity it uses and upon the local electric rates. Ranges of operating costs are given in Table 1 for freezers of different sizes. If one wishes a better estimate of what his particular freezer costs to operate, he may refer to Table 1 and determine the average kilowatt-hour consumption per month per cubic-foot of capacity for the size and location of his freezer. For example, if a 15 cubic foot freezer were located in an unheated basement, a value of 4.68 Kwh/mo/cu. ft. could be used to estimate the monthly kilowatt-hour consumption of this freezer, (15 cu. ft. x 4.68 Kwh/mo/cu. ft.=70.2 Kwh/mo.) If electricity costs 2 cents per kilowatt-hour, the cost to operate this freezer will be about $1.40 per month. (This figure may be considerably higher in the summer and lower in the winter.)
1. A chest-type home freezer conveniently located in the kitchen area. The added convenience afforded by locating the freezer in or near the kitchen is well worth the small increase in operating cost which may result due to the warmer surrounding temperatures.
2.	How much will operating costs be affected by the amount of food which is frozen and stored?
I he usual quantity of food frozen and stored in a home freezer has little effect upon the kilowatt-hour consumption. Therefore, the owner should use his
i Formerly of the Department of Agricultural Engineering, Purdue University, and now at Michigan State College, East Lansing, Mich.
- Associate, Department of Home Economics.
Assistant, Department of Agricultural Economics.
freezer to full capacity in order to obtain the most efficient operation—he wants to preserve as many pounds of food as possible for every kilowatt hour used.
3.	What size home freezer should I buy?
The data in Table 1 show that the cost oI operation per cubic foot is less for home freezers which are larger in size. Therefore, the owner of a large freezer uses his electrical energy more efficiently than the owner of a small freezer, provided he is using Ins large