Freezer shopping tends to go one of two ways. People pick the upright because it fits the kitchen and has shelves, or the chest because someone told them it's cheaper to run. Is that second claim true?
We checked against the ENERGY STAR list of certified freezers, downloaded on October 16, 2026. It holds 671 listings: 500 uprights, 9 chests, and the rest compact units. Those are rated figures from the program, not tests we ran ourselves.
The sample problem, up front
Nine chest freezers is a thin list. Three of the nine share one size, 21.7 cubic feet, and one rating, and only six distinct sizes show up at all. So we won't claim a portfolio-wide average for chests. We'll compare matching sizes instead, which is the fairer test anyway.
Same size, different bill
| Size | Chest freezer, kWh per year | Upright, median kWh per year | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15.7 cu ft chest vs 14 to 18 cu ft uprights (162 listings) | 277 | 435 | 158 kWh |
| 21.7 cu ft chest vs 20+ cu ft uprights (128 listings) | 346 | 493 | 147 kWh |
Both comparisons land in the same place: the chest uses about a third less. At the US average rate of 18.31 cents per kWh, the larger gap is worth $28.93 a year, and the 21.7 cubic foot one $26.92.
The 15.7 cubic foot case, priced by state
Rates are the July 2026 EIA residential averages, and the arithmetic is ours.
| State | Cents per kWh | Chest (277 kWh) | Upright (435 kWh) | Saved per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 12.72 | $35.23 | $55.33 | $20.10 |
| US average | 18.31 | $50.72 | $79.65 | $28.93 |
| California | 33.61 | $93.10 | $146.20 | $53.10 |
Over ten years at the US average, the gap comes to about $289. That's the figure to put next to any price difference between the two. If the chest costs $150 less to buy as well, there's no contest. If it costs $200 more, the saving takes seven years to repay it.
Why the chest wins
Physics, mostly. Cold air sinks. Open a chest lid and the cold stays in the box, with only a thin layer mixing at the top. Open an upright door and the cold pours out the bottom while warm room air flows in at the top. The compressor then spends energy removing that heat again.
The data backs the story in a second way. All nine chest listings are manual defrost. Of 500 uprights, 496 are automatic defrost, which means a heater and a fan that run on a schedule. Those parts take power, and they're part of why uprights come out higher.
Per cubic foot, the median certified chest is rated at 20.6 kWh and the median upright at 28.3. Take that chest figure with a grain of salt, since it rests on nine entries. The matched-size table is the sturdier evidence.
What the upright gives you
Efficiency isn't the only thing a freezer does. Here's the honest case for the upright:
- Footprint. A 15.7 cubic foot chest is wide, and it needs open space above it for the lid.
- Access. Shelves and door bins mean you see what you have. Digging to the bottom of a chest for the one bag of peas is a real chore.
- Defrosting. Chests need manual defrosting. Plan on scraping ice once or twice a year.
Many people hate that last one. We think that for a garage or basement where you store bulk meat, a chest is the better buy. For a kitchen where you reach in daily, the upright earns its extra $29 a year. Pick the place first.
Defrosting, and what it does to the bill
Frost is the quiet cost in a manual-defrost chest. A thin film on the walls is harmless. Once it builds up to a quarter inch or more, it insulates the cold wall from the food and the compressor runs longer to compensate. Most owners scrape it out once or twice a year, unplug the freezer for an afternoon, and move the food into coolers meanwhile. Skip that for several years and the rating on the label stops describing the machine in your garage.
Does that erase the $29? Not in our reading of the numbers. A freezer that's looked after keeps close to its rating. One that's ignored drifts upward, and so does an upright with a worn door gasket. Check the seal on either type by closing the door on a dollar bill: if it slides out with no resistance, the gasket is leaking cold.
Where the freezer sits changes the number
A freezer in an unheated garage faces a hot summer and a cold winter, and the compressor works harder when the room is warm. The ratings assume a normal indoor room. In a garage that reaches 95 degrees in August, expect more than the label says. Some models aren't rated for cold garages at all, so check the manual before you park one outside.
Filling it helps. A full freezer holds its temperature better than a mostly empty one, because frozen food acts like a thermal battery. Fill the gaps with bags of water or ice if you've got space.
A quick way to check any freezer
- Read the yearly kWh from the EnergyGuide label.
- Divide by cubic feet. The certified medians are about 21 for chests and 28 for uprights, so use those as your yardstick.
- Multiply by your own rate.
- Compare two candidates and divide the price gap by the yearly saving with the payback calculator.
For the method behind step 3, see how to calculate appliance running cost. If you're sizing up a compact fridge instead, the same method applied to compact fridges is in mini fridge running cost.