Best ENERGY STAR Rated Freezers [Review and Buying Guide]

Freezers have a reputation for being one of the home’s big energy guzzlers, which isn’t totally accurate, especially when you put them up against water heaters and clothes dryers. But they are still an extra appliance that will probably be plugged in more than not, and will therefore add to your monthly energy bills and your household’s carbon footprint.

ENERGY STAR can help to lower the additional energy costs that come with operating a freezer. As with any appliance that has their certification, these freezers use less electricity and are therefore cheaper to run than non-certified models. According to Energy.gov, ENERGY STAR-rated freezers are 10% more efficient than their unrated counterparts. They state that the average certified freezer uses “about 215 kWh of electricity and costs less than $30 per year to run.”

Sold on the idea? Well, below are our picks for the best ENERGY STAR rated freezers in various sizes and categories. All are currently listed on their product finder. We’ll review each product, and then offer some buying tips on features, choosing the right freezer and finding a good deal.

Editorial Review

This chest freezer is a spacious small freezer with a few nice extra features. It has a manual defrost system with a front-mounted drain, and a standard compartment divider plus 2-basket system for organizing food. The baskets are adjustable, which is a nice touch. The digital thermostat is front mounted for easier visibility.

We liked the fast freeze function, and appreciated the rounded, easier-to-clean corners of the interior. You can use it in temperatures from 0F to 110F (-17C to 43C), which makes it more versatile. The refrigerant it uses (R600a) is also a bit better for the environment, which we obviously approved of.

What Others Are Saying

People loved the design and performance of this freezer, but the bulk of the praise is for its energy efficiency. Those who purchased it were frequently transitioning from an older chest freezer, and were delighted with the difference in their energy bills.

Reviewers commented that this model runs quiet, shuts tight and has a nice weight to the lid. They found the organizers simple but effective, and reported that it was easy to reach the bottom when they needed to. The temperature was said to be accurate. The one down side people found was that the freezer doesn’t have an interior light.

Editorial Review

This is a larger offering from GE for folks who need a bit more in the way of freezer space. Like the smaller Danby model, this freezer is designed to perform in temperatures from 0°F to 110°F. The GE freezer comes with 4 handy sliding baskets on two levels, as well as manual defrost.

The extra features here include an “on” light so you can check that the unit is working without opening the door, and a temperature alarm to tell you if the freezer is getting warm. The freezer can be locked, and also includes an interior light.

What Others Are Saying

People who bought this freezer give it high marks. They find it dependable, quiet and roomy. The biggest draw, of course, is the energy and money it saves people every month, compared to the older models most people had been using.

Reviewers also praised how well-made the freezer is and how quickly it was able to reach the desired temperatures, even in warm rooms. Most people really liked the organization system and found it easy to reach whatever they needed. A few users had issues with the seals and with cracked baskets, but reviews are generally very good.

Editorial Review

If you need a ton of freezer space but don’t want the energy bills that come with a giant freezer, this GE model is a solid option. Like the other models, it’s designed for temperatures 0°F to 110°F. It features an “on” light that tells you the freezer’s working and backs that up with a temperature alarm that tells you if it isn’t.

We liked the LED interior light—a must for a freezer of this size. Our favourite thing about this model is how customizable it is. With 4 dividers and 5 sliding storage baskets that you can position at two different levels, you can organize your food in the way that makes sense for you.

What Others Are Saying

Other people also really liked this freezer’s organization system. They found it easy to use and handy for keeping track of what’s actually in the freezer, especially given the amount of food this model holds. Users also praised how quickly the freezer got cold and how quiet it runs.

While reviews are mostly positive, a few people had trouble with the temperature alarm. Others had issues with the lid not sealing properly and with frost building up. Some people mentioned that they would have liked the reset buttons to be positioned a little higher so they’re easier to reach.

Editorial Review

This freezer is designed for the vintage aesthetic factor, especially the candy red model, but it has a lot going for it besides great looks and energy efficiency. We particularly liked how versatile the freezer is. The pull-out drawer system offers lots of flexibility for storage, and its small size makes it easy to put in any space.

There’s not much here in terms of bells and whistles, and some of what you’re paying for is indeed the look of the fridge, but it fills a niche for many homeowners who want something that matches a vintage home and also performs well.

What Others Are Saying

Reviewers praise this model for the look of the freezer but also for its dependability. They were pleased with how well constructed it is and how much space it offers. Many reviewers noted that it’s very easy to find things in this freezer, and really liked the convenience of the design.

There aren’t many negative reviews of this freezer, but some noted that the finish scratches easily and that with the distinct red model, it could be hard to touch up. Reviewers also frequently noted that the fridge is priced high compared to other models, but that they accepted that they were paying for aesthetics.

Editorial Review

It’s great to have a compact freezer option on the market that holds a lot of food without taking up a ton of space. We liked how quiet and unobtrusive it is, and that its height makes it useful as an extra counter if your kitchen is small.

The design is sleek, with a recessed handle, and the reversible door makes the unit even more versatile. It can be locked if you need. Inside, the organization system is very basic—two shelves and a basket at the bottom. The shelves aren’t adjustable, but they’re deep enough for a pizza, and really, that’s all you need.

What Others Are Saying

This freezer is generally well-liked. People who use it say they were pleasantly surprised by how spacious it was and how much food they could pack into it. They found that it worked quickly on first plugging it in, that it kept food cold and that its design made it easy to fit into small spaces.

Some users reported that the freezer was unreliable, or broke down quickly. Others had issues with freezers arriving with dents, damage and cosmetic faults. They warned that reaching out to the company netted some spotty customer service.

ENERGY STAR Rated Freezer Buying Guide

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If buying a freezer is on your radar, you’ll need to consider your budget (of course), the features you want in a freezer and, even more importantly, what you want the freezer to do (beyond the obvious). A bit of planning will help you determine the type, size and brands to look out for, and help you make a good purchasing decision.

How to Choose the Right Freezer

To narrow down your options, think about how the freezer will fit into your home and your everyday life. If you’re replacing an existing freezer, this will be easier to visualize. All you’ll need to do is evaluate what you loved about your former freezer and what you wish it had done better.

If you’re purchasing a freezer for a new purpose, ask yourself what you need it to do. Is it for additional or seasonal storage? Will you need to move the freezer seasonally? If so, 2 compact freezers could be more useful than one larger one. If your new freezer is for everyday use, energy-efficiency will be even more important, so be aware that chest freezers tend to be more energy-efficient than uprights.

What will your freezer hold? Capacity is the most obvious criteria to consider here, but organization is equally important. If you plan on freezing large items, a chest freezer makes sense. If you plan on filling the freezer with many smaller jars and containers, or with a big variety of foods, then an upright with compartments, bins or baskets might actually be more helpful.

Where will your freezer go? If it’s going in a garage, you’ll need to purchase one designed to operate in the more extreme temperatures your garage experiences. If it’s going in your kitchen, a dorm room or a high-traffic space, then both the size and the profile of the freezer, as well as the noise it makes, become considerations.

How often will you open the freezer? Chest freezers generally stay colder through repeated door openings, but they do require more in the way of bending and rummaging. Future you will thank you for thinking about how accessible you’ll need your food to be.

What Freezer Features Are Worth It?

Modern freezers can be basic or incredibly sophisticated. Before you lean into the bells and whistles, consider what features you really need or could see yourself using.

With some features, like child locks or interior lights, it’s easy to tell if you need them or not. Some of the newer freezer features are harder to evaluate. Fast freeze functions are impressive, for example, but if you open your freezer once a month, you won’t be getting the full value of that technology.

Much freezer technology goes into keeping food cold in the case of a power outage, or into letting you know that the temperature inside the freezer is rising. If your area experiences power outages, or if you’re off-grid and experience power fluctuations, this is a fantastic feature. It is, however, one more thing that can break, so if your power tends to be stable, ask yourself how annoyed you would be by an insistent but malfunctioning temperature alarm.

The same can be said of automatic defrosting. Frost-free technology is a nice perk, but manual defrost systems are more reliable, even if they can be inconvenient.

How to Make a Smart Freezer Purchase

You’re likely already familiar with buying advice for large purchases: wait for sales, price match where you can, watch for rebates and look into floor models, returned items, scratch and dent stores and reputable second-hand dealers. Now let’s consider some price factors that are specific to freezers.

The bigger the freezer, the more expensive it’s likely to be. A helpful guideline is to buy a freezer big enough to hold what you need it to hold at peak times (like the holidays). It’s not a bargain if you need to buy a second, smaller freezer because the first doesn’t fit what you need it to when you need it to.

That said, a freezer that’s better organized could hold more than one that’s merely bigger in volume. Before you splurge on a larger freezer, ask friends and relatives what they can fit in theirs. You might be surprised what you can fit in a well-designed space.

You can also expect to pay for conveniences. This includes the convenience of an upright freezer over a chest freezer. Only you can determine what these conveniences are worth to you. If you’re going to pay for extra features, though, make sure you pay for the features that will be actual conveniences to you, and not features that the manufacturer tells you are convenient.

Long-Term Costs and Considerations

Rather than focus only on the price tag, think about the lifetime costs of your purchase. The first extra cost to factor in will be shipping—if you can, find a seller who offers free shipping. These things are heavy.

The cost of energy will play a big role in how expensive the freezer is in the long run. So will dependability and maintenance. Some brands’ offerings will cost more upfront, but their reliability makes them better deals in the long run.

You can quickly run into grey areas where you wonder if you’re actually paying for higher quality or just paying for the brand name. Consumer reports and reviews of the individual freezer you’re thinking of buying will give you an idea about whether it’s worth the extra.

Think about parts and service, too, when making your purchasing decision. Any freezer could have malfunctions down the road, and you’ll want to make sure that parts are straightforward to get and that you won’t need specialized service.

Finally, look for warranties and read the fine print to discover what a manufacturer will and won’t cover in the event of a breakdown. Also read consumer reports and reviews of the product you’re considering to see if an extended warranty makes sense.

Best of luck in your freezer-finding ventures!

Feature image: Dev Benjamin; Image 1: Sebastian Nikiel