These refrigeration industry figures cover the measurement periods and populations identified in the available source material. Estimates, surveys and forecasts retain their reported scope.
Key Refrigeration Industry Statistics
The main findings are:
- Global residential refrigerators and freezers used about 500 TWh of electricity in 2018.
- Nearly 99% of U.S. homes had a refrigerator in 2020.
- Average U.S. consumer refrigerators used 384 kWh per year in 2016 (United States consumer products).
- Insufficient refrigeration is associated with the loss or waste of 526 million tonnes of food, around 12% of the global total (2026 FAO page citing report data; global food system).
- The U.S. AIM Act directs an 85% phasedown of regulated HFC production and consumption from baseline levels by 2036 (2022-2036).
- Residential refrigerator and freezer electricity use is expected to rise 35% from 2018 to 2050 (2018-2050).
- 34% of U.S. homes had two or more refrigerators in 2020.
- Average U.S. refrigerator-freezers used 588 kWh per year in 2016 (United States consumer products).
- Food cold chains account for around 4% of global greenhouse-gas emissions when cold-chain technologies and refrigeration-related food loss are included (2022 report; global food system).
- U.S. EPA reported 134,476,416.6 MTCO2e of regulated HFC production for 2025 (United States reported HFC activity).
- 38% of Midwest U.S. homes had a second refrigerator in 2020 (U.S. Midwest).
- Average U.S. freezers used 555 kWh per year in 2016 (United States consumer products).
- An estimated 14% of food produced for human consumption was lost before reaching consumers in the UNEP-FAO 2022 baseline (2022 report baseline).
- U.S. EPA reported 172,732,965.5 MTCO2e of regulated HFC consumption for 2025 (United States reported HFC activity).
- 44% of Midwest U.S. homes had a separate freezer in 2020 (U.S. Midwest).
Contents
- Key Refrigeration Industry Statistics
- Global refrigeration and cooling industry scale and energy demand
- Household refrigeration adoption and appliance stock
- Refrigerator and freezer energy use, costs and efficiency
- Food cold-chain reach, losses and measured outcomes
- Refrigerants, emissions and regulatory transition
Global refrigeration and cooling industry scale and energy demand
- Global residential refrigerators and freezers used about 500 TWh of electricity in 2018. (Buildings – Innovation Gaps – Analysis)
- Residential refrigerator and freezer electricity use is expected to rise 35% from 2018 to 2050 (2018-2050). (Buildings – Innovation Gaps – Analysis)
IEA estimate for residential refrigerators and freezers, not all commercial or industrial refrigeration.
IEA projection; outcome depends on appliance stock, efficiency and electricity access.
Household refrigeration adoption and appliance stock
- Nearly 99% of U.S. homes had a refrigerator in 2020. (Electricity use in homes – U.S. Energy Information Administration)
- 34% of U.S. homes had two or more refrigerators in 2020. (Electricity use in homes – U.S. Energy Information Administration)
- 38% of Midwest U.S. homes had a second refrigerator in 2020 (U.S. Midwest). (Electricity use in homes – U.S. Energy Information Administration)
- 44% of Midwest U.S. homes had a separate freezer in 2020 (U.S. Midwest). (Electricity use in homes – U.S. Energy Information Administration)
- 33% of all U.S. homes had a separate freezer in 2020. (Electricity use in homes – U.S. Energy Information Administration)
- U.S. households used 103.1 billion kWh for all refrigerators in 2020 (United States households). (Table CE5.1b Detailed household site electricity end-use consumption, part 2—totals, 2020)
- U.S. households used 75.8 billion kWh for their most-used refrigerators in 2020 (United States households). (Table CE5.1b Detailed household site electricity end-use consumption, part 2—totals, 2020)
- U.S. households used 21.0 billion kWh for second refrigerators in 2020 (United States households). (Table CE5.1b Detailed household site electricity end-use consumption, part 2—totals, 2020)
- U.S. households used 23.4 billion kWh for separate freezers in 2020 (United States households). (Table CE5.1b Detailed household site electricity end-use consumption, part 2—totals, 2020)
2020 RECS household estimate; ownership is not a count of individual appliances.
2020 RECS household estimate.
2020 RECS regional estimate.
EIA RECS modeled and calibrated end-use estimate; includes on-site solar and excludes generation and delivery losses.
EIA RECS end-use estimate.
Refrigerator and freezer energy use, costs and efficiency
- Average U.S. consumer refrigerators used 384 kWh per year in 2016 (United States consumer products). (Refrigerator-Freezers RFI FAQ)
- Average U.S. refrigerator-freezers used 588 kWh per year in 2016 (United States consumer products). (Refrigerator-Freezers RFI FAQ)
- Average U.S. freezers used 555 kWh per year in 2016 (United States consumer products). (Refrigerator-Freezers RFI FAQ)
- U.S. refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers and freezers used 1.25 quads of primary energy in 2016. (Refrigerator-Freezers RFI FAQ)
- Those three U.S. consumer refrigeration product classes represented about 6.1% of residential electricity use in 2016. (Refrigerator-Freezers RFI FAQ)
- Estimated U.S. shipments of consumer refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers and freezers totaled 16.3 million units in 2016. (Refrigerator-Freezers RFI FAQ)
- ENERGY STAR refrigerators were about 9% more energy efficient than standard models in the 2024 guide (United States market). (2024 Quick Reference Guide)
- An ENERGY STAR refrigerator costs about USD 70 per year to run on average (2024 guide; United States market). (2024 Quick Reference Guide)
- An ENERGY STAR side-by-side refrigerator uses about 630 kWh per year and costs about USD 90 per year to run (2024 guide; United States market). (2024 Quick Reference Guide)
- ENERGY STAR top-freezer refrigerators use about 360 kWh per year and cost about USD 50 per year to run (2024 guide; United States market). (2024 Quick Reference Guide)
- ENERGY STAR bottom-freezer refrigerators use about 560 kWh per year and cost about USD 80 per year to run (2024 guide; United States market). (2024 Quick Reference Guide)
DOE product-class estimate, not a current measured average.
DOE product-class estimate.
DOE estimate for the three consumer product classes.
DOE estimate; product-class scope excludes commercial refrigeration.
DOE shipment estimate across the three consumer product classes.
ENERGY STAR program comparison; efficiency varies by configuration and size.
Program estimate depends on electricity price and usage assumptions.
Configuration-specific program estimate.
Food cold-chain reach, losses and measured outcomes
- Insufficient refrigeration is associated with the loss or waste of 526 million tonnes of food, around 12% of the global total (2026 FAO page citing report data; global food system). (Cooling the chain, cutting the waste)
- Food cold chains account for around 4% of global greenhouse-gas emissions when cold-chain technologies and refrigeration-related food loss are included (2022 report; global food system). (Sustainable Food Cold Chains: Opportunities, Challenges and the Way Forward)
- An estimated 14% of food produced for human consumption was lost before reaching consumers in the UNEP-FAO 2022 baseline (2022 report baseline). (Sustainable Food Cold Chains: Opportunities, Challenges and the Way Forward)
- An estimated 17% of food was wasted in the UNEP-FAO 2022 baseline (2022 report baseline). (Sustainable Food Cold Chains: Opportunities, Challenges and the Way Forward)
- Developing countries could save 144 million tonnes of food annually by reaching developed-country food cold-chain infrastructure levels (2022 report scenario). (Amid food and climate crises, investing in sustainable food cold chains crucial)
- Post-harvest food loss reduces the income of about 470 million small-scale farmers by 15% (2022 report baseline; mainly developing countries). (Amid food and climate crises, investing in sustainable food cold chains crucial)
- Food loss and waste caused by lack of refrigeration produced an estimated 1 gigatonne of CO2-equivalent emissions in 2017. (Amid food and climate crises, investing in sustainable food cold chains crucial)
- The source forecast states that the UN-FAO report identifies feeding an additional 2 billion people by 2050 as a cold-chain challenge. (Amid food and climate crises, investing in sustainable food cold chains crucial)
- A food cold-chain pilot in India reduced kiwi-fruit losses by 76% while expanding refrigerated transport (project period reported in 2022; India pilot). (Amid food and climate crises, investing in sustainable food cold chains crucial)
- A Nigeria project with 54 operational ColdHubs prevented spoilage of 42,024 tonnes of food (project period reported in 2022). (Amid food and climate crises, investing in sustainable food cold chains crucial)
FAO presentation of global estimate; it attributes loss/waste to insufficient refrigeration, not all food loss causes.
Combined direct, energy-related and food-loss emissions estimate.
Food-loss estimate is not refrigeration-only.
Food-waste estimate includes causes beyond refrigeration.
Counterfactual infrastructure scenario, not observed annual savings.
UN estimate concerns post-harvest loss broadly, not a refrigeration-only causal estimate.
Estimate covers food loss and waste linked to inadequate refrigeration.
Population and food-system planning context, not a refrigeration adoption measurement.
Single pilot outcome; not representative of all Indian or global cold chains.
Project-specific measured outcome.
Refrigerants, emissions and regulatory transition
- The U.S. AIM Act directs an 85% phasedown of regulated HFC production and consumption from baseline levels by 2036 (2022-2036). (HFC Data Hub)
- U.S. EPA reported 134,476,416.6 MTCO2e of regulated HFC production for 2025 (United States reported HFC activity). (HFC Data Hub)
- U.S. EPA reported 172,732,965.5 MTCO2e of regulated HFC consumption for 2025 (United States reported HFC activity). (HFC Data Hub)
- HFC-125 accounted for 68,048,180.9 MTCO2e of U.S. regulated HFC consumption in 2025 (United States reported HFC activity). (HFC Data Hub)
- HFC-134a accounted for 53,875,673.4 MTCO2e of U.S. regulated HFC consumption in 2025 (United States reported HFC activity). (HFC Data Hub)
- HFC-32 accounted for 29,065,402.0 MTCO2e of U.S. regulated HFC consumption in 2025 (United States reported HFC activity). (HFC Data Hub)
- HFC-143a accounted for 13,867,284.2 MTCO2e of U.S. regulated HFC consumption in 2025 (United States reported HFC activity). (HFC Data Hub)
- EPA-reported end-of-year regulated HFC inventory totaled 117,196.3 metric tonnes, equivalent to 278,943,811.8 MTCO2e, on December 31, 2025 (United States reported inventory). (HFC Data Hub)
Statutory phasedown target; not a measured reduction in refrigeration equipment emissions.
EPA reported activity across regulated HFCs and sectors, not refrigeration-only use; data may be revised.
EPA reported activity across regulated HFCs and sectors, not refrigeration-only use; total can vary by up to 2% of the AIM limit during verification.
Chemical-level EPA total is not refrigeration-only.
Inventory covers producers, importers, exporters, recyclers and reclaimers across regulated HFCs, not refrigeration equipment alone.