The short answer

Put a plug-in meter on it for a week, annualise the kWh, and compare the annual cost with what a replacement would cost to buy plus its own annual running cost. Replace only when the arithmetic, not the age, says so.

Measure before deciding

Freezers cycle like fridges (see the refrigerator guide for why label watts mislead). A week captures door openings and, for frost-free models, defrost cycles. Ambient temperature is the big variable: a freezer in a hot garage in July runs far more than the same unit in January, so a summer week and a winter week give different annual estimates. Say which you measured.

Worked examples

Freezer scenarios, annualised from a week's reading (example rate $0.20/kWh; replace with yours)
Scenario kWh / day kWh / period Cost / period
Meter read 7 kWh after 7 days 1 365 $73.00
Meter read 14 kWh after 7 days 2 730 $146.00
Meter read 25 kWh after 7 days 3.571 1303.571 $260.71

Basis: Illustrative meter readings projected to 365 days. These are not measurements of any specific freezer and ignore seasonal change in the ambient temperature.

What a replacement decision needs

  1. Your measured annual kWh × your rate: the cost you would avoid.
  2. The replacement's EnergyGuide annual kWh × your rate: the cost you would take on. A new freezer is not free to run.
  3. Purchase price, delivery and disposal of the old unit.
  4. Years of service you expect. Payback = purchase cost ÷ (old annual cost − new annual cost). If the saving is zero or negative, there is no payback under those inputs.

If the old freezer is mostly empty, the cheapest fix is often to consolidate into the kitchen freezer and switch the old one off, which needs no purchase at all. The calculator handles step 1 and 2 with the meter mode.

Kill A Watt EZ P4460

P3 International Kill A Watt EZ P4460

Single meter

A week in a garage or basement is a long time to trust a meter that resets if disturbed. The P4460 keeps its total.

Suits you when

You want the same plug-in measurement but with cost shown on the device and readings that survive being unplugged or a power cut.

Not for

Hardwired appliances, 240 V dryers or ranges, loads above 15 A or 1,875 W, or wet locations.

Check availability on Amazon Manufacturer page We do not show live prices. Confirm the current offer, seller and pack size on Amazon before buying.

Sources and evidence

What we are relying on

Energy cost for a steady load = watts ÷ 1,000 × hours per day × days × your rate in dollars per kWh.
Arithmetic method, not a measurement. Appliances that cycle on and off need measured kWh or actual runtime, not nameplate watts × 24 hours.
The P4460 lets you enter your electricity rate and shows cost projections on the device, and it retains accumulated measurements after a loss of power.
Verified from the manufacturer or official document.

What this page does not establish

  • No freezer was measured for this page.
  • The payback method above needs your own purchase price and the replacement's label figure; no prices are given here.

Sources

  1. Estimating appliance and home electronic energy use, Virginia Cooperative Extension. Calculation method; read 2026-09-07.
  2. Kill A Watt EZ P4460 operation manual, P3 International. Manufacturer document; read 2026-09-07.

Spotted an error or a changed product? Send a correction.