Can I run a refrigerator on a 15-amp circuit?

Yes. At about 1.3 A it stays under the 12 A continuous limit (80% of 15 A) that applies to a 15 A breaker, leaving room on the circuit.

What size breaker does a refrigerator need?

Guidance for a dedicated circuit is a 15 A breaker with 14 AWG copper wire (75°C terminations), sized at 125% because it runs continuously (3+ hours). Always size from the nameplate and confirm with a licensed electrician: conductor length, ambient temperature, and local code change the answer.

How many watts does a refrigerator use?

Refrigerator typically draws about 150 running watts and around 800 starting (surge) watts. See what that costs on our cost-to-run page, or use the wattage chart for other appliances.

How many amps does a fridge use at startup?

About 6.7 A (800 W) for a second or two as the compressor motor starts, against roughly 1.3 A once it is running. That surge is why a fridge can dim the lights for an instant, and why an inverter or generator has to be sized on the surge rather than the running figure.

Does a refrigerator need its own dedicated circuit?

A dedicated circuit is the normal practice and is what most manufacturers call for in their installation instructions. At 1.3 A running, the fridge is not what fills a circuit; the problem is sharing one with a countertop appliance, where a toaster or kettle on the same breaker can trip it and quietly leave the food warming. Follow the nameplate and your local code.

How much does it cost to run a fridge?

It depends on your electricity rate and how much the compressor cycles. Because the fridge is not drawing 150 W continuously, multiplying watts by 24 hours overstates it. Our cost-to-run page for a refrigerator does the arithmetic at your own rate.

How Many Amps Does a Refrigerator Use?

Refrigerator draws about 1.3 amps at 120 volts (150 watts running) and briefly spikes to around 6.7 amps at startup. At 1.3 A, a refrigerator fits comfortably on a standard 15 A or 20 A household circuit (kitchen countertop receptacles are on 20 A small-appliance circuits per NEC 210.11(C)).

Power (watts)

Voltage

Amps = watts ÷ volts. Enter the wattage from your appliance's nameplate or label for an exact figure.

Current draw: a refrigerator

1.3 A

At 120 V: 150 W
Typical breaker: 15 A

Breaker figure is guidance for a simple resistive load, sized at 125% for continuous running; confirm against the nameplate and a licensed electrician.

Refrigerator amperage at 120 V and 240 V

Same 150 W load: the current halves when the voltage doubles. Refrigerator is typically a 120 V appliance in US homes.

Draw	Watts	Amps at 120 V	Amps at 240 V
Running	150 W	1.3 A	0.63 A
Starting (surge)	800 W	6.7 A	3.3 A

The startup surge lasts a fraction of a second; it matters for generator sizing and breaker trip curves, not for your electric bill.

The 150 W figure is what the fridge draws while the compressor is actually running, not an around-the-clock average. A refrigerator cycles: the compressor runs for a stretch, shuts off, and restarts, so over a day it uses far less energy than 150 W times 24 hours would suggest. The amps below are what the circuit sees while it runs.

Refrigerator amps by wattage rating

Find the watts on the nameplate inside the door or on the back panel and read across. Compact and mini fridges sit at the low end, large French-door and side-by-side models at the high end.

Rated watts	Amps at 120 V	Fans per 15 A circuit
100 W	0.83 A	14
150 W (typical)	1.3 A	9
200 W	1.7 A	7
300 W	2.5 A	4
500 W	4.2 A	2
800 W	6.7 A	1

Per-circuit counts use the 12 A continuous limit (80% of a 15 A breaker) and assume nothing else is on the circuit.

How long a refrigerator runs on a power station

Hours of cooling from a fully charged portable power station during an outage. Real runtime is usually longer than this, because the compressor cycles rather than running continuously. Based on a 150 W load and 85% inverter efficiency.

Battery capacity	Approx. runtime
300 Wh	1.7 hours
500 Wh	2.8 hours
1,000 Wh	5.7 hours
2,000 Wh	11 hours

See can a power station run a refrigerator? for how to size one, or the power station picks for units at each capacity.

Breaker and circuit for a refrigerator

At 1.3 A, a refrigerator fits comfortably on a standard 15 A or 20 A household circuit (kitchen countertop receptacles are on 20 A small-appliance circuits per NEC 210.11(C)). For a dedicated circuit, guidance is a 15 A breaker with 14 AWG copper (75°C terminations), sized at 125% of the running current because it runs 3+ hours at a time (NEC 210.20).

Guidance only: actual circuit sizing depends on your unit's nameplate, wire run length, and local code. Confirm with a licensed electrician. See the wire & breaker size chart for the full NEC ampacity table.

Measure what a refrigerator actually draws

The figures above are typical ratings. A plug-in power meter between the outlet and the cord shows the real amps and watts with nothing opened up. A clamp meter reads one conductor at a time, so it is the tool for hardwired and 240 V circuits; clamped around a whole cord it reads close to zero.

We earn a commission if you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. It does not change what we recommend. See our affiliate disclosure. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Plug-in power meter

P3 International Kill A Watt P4400

Best for: Measuring what one plug-in appliance really uses

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Clamp meter

Fluke 323

Best for: Measuring what a hardwired circuit actually draws, even in a crowded panel

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Energy meter and monitor picks

Frequently asked questions

Refrigerator typically draws about 1.3 amps at 120 volts, based on a typical rating of 150 watts (amps = watts ÷ volts). Because it has a motor or compressor, it briefly pulls around 6.7 amps at startup. Check the nameplate on your specific unit: ratings vary by model.

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How Many Amps Does a Refrigerator Use?

Refrigerator amperage at 120 V and 240 V

Refrigerator amps by wattage rating

How long a refrigerator runs on a power station

Breaker and circuit for a refrigerator

Measure what a refrigerator actually draws

P3 International Kill A Watt P4400

Fluke 323

Frequently asked questions