kitchen · 150W typical

Running a countertop ice maker costs about $2.38/month.

That's the typical countertop ice maker at 150W, run 8 hours a day at the US-average rate of 16.5¢/kWh. Change any of those and the number moves — use the calculator below to see yours.

Estimated cost

$2.38/month

$0.08 per day$28.91 per year14.4 kWh monthly

Wattage

Hours / day

Your rate

A countertop ice maker draws full power only while the thermostat/compressor is running — about 3.2 effective hours at 150W across your 8-hour window.

How you use it

Cost shifts with how long it's on.

The same countertop ice maker can cost very different amounts depending on usage patterns. Three common scenarios, at the US-average rate.

party weekend

$2.38

per month

running during entertaining

8 hrs/day·$28.91/yr

daily use

$0.89

per month

topping off ice bin

3 hrs/day·$10.84/yr

Where you live

$4.31 spread between the cheapest and priciest states.

Same appliance, same hours of use, different zip code — the monthly cost varies this much.

State	Rate	Monthly	Yearly
Hawaii	41.2¢	$5.93	$72.18
California	31.4¢	$4.52	$55.01
Massachusetts	30.8¢	$4.44	$53.96
Connecticut	28.7¢	$4.13	$50.28
Rhode Island	27.9¢	$4.02	$48.88
New Hampshire	24.6¢	$3.54	$43.10
Alaska	24.3¢	$3.50	$42.57
New York	22.3¢	$3.21	$39.07
Maine	22.1¢	$3.18	$38.72
Vermont	21.5¢	$3.10	$37.67
Michigan	19.3¢	$2.78	$33.81
New Jersey	19.1¢	$2.75	$33.46
Maryland	18.4¢	$2.65	$32.24
Pennsylvania	18.1¢	$2.61	$31.71
District of Columbia	17.8¢	$2.56	$31.19
Wisconsin	17.4¢	$2.51	$30.48
Delaware	17.2¢	$2.48	$30.13
Illinois	16.9¢	$2.43	$29.61
Ohio	16.6¢	$2.39	$29.08
Nevada	16.3¢	$2.35	$28.56
Indiana	15.8¢	$2.28	$27.68
Virginia	15.7¢	$2.26	$27.51
Minnesota	15.6¢	$2.25	$27.33
Colorado	15.4¢	$2.22	$26.98
Alabama	15.2¢	$2.19	$26.63
West Virginia	15.2¢	$2.19	$26.63
Florida	15.1¢	$2.17	$26.46
New Mexico	14.8¢	$2.13	$25.93
Texas	14.8¢	$2.13	$25.93
Arizona	14.7¢	$2.12	$25.75
South Carolina	14.7¢	$2.12	$25.75
Kansas	14.6¢	$2.10	$25.58
Georgia	14.2¢	$2.04	$24.88
Iowa	14.1¢	$2.03	$24.70
North Carolina	13.9¢	$2.00	$24.35
Missouri	13.6¢	$1.96	$23.83
Oregon	13.4¢	$1.93	$23.48
Tennessee	13.3¢	$1.92	$23.30
Kentucky	13.2¢	$1.90	$23.13
Mississippi	13.1¢	$1.89	$22.95
Oklahoma	13.1¢	$1.89	$22.95
South Dakota	12.7¢	$1.83	$22.25
Montana	12.4¢	$1.79	$21.72
Nebraska	12.2¢	$1.76	$21.37
Arkansas	12.1¢	$1.74	$21.20
Washington	12.1¢	$1.74	$21.20
Louisiana	11.9¢	$1.71	$20.85
Wyoming	11.6¢	$1.67	$20.32
North Dakota	11.5¢	$1.66	$20.15
Utah	11.4¢	$1.64	$19.97
Idaho	11.3¢	$1.63	$19.80

Efficient vs. inefficient

A $28.91/year difference across the wattage range.

Swapping a high-draw model for an efficient one pays for itself. Here's what that looks like annually at typical usage.

Most efficient

100W

$1.58 per month

$19.27 per year

Typical

150W

$2.38 per month

$28.91 per year

High draw

250W

$3.96 per month

$48.18 per year

When it hits hardest

summer peak

Peak use June-September entertaining season.

Ways to cut the cost

1
Turn off when not needed — most have no auto-shutoff
Saves 60-80% of idle runtime
2
Use a smart plug to schedule production hours
Eliminates overnight cycling
3
Use the fridge's built-in icemaker when available — it's ~3x more efficient
Countertop units are 2-3x less efficient per lb

Real-world wattages

Pulled from actual spec sheets.

Brand	Model	Watts
hOmeLabs	HME010033N	150W
Frigidaire	EFIC117-SS	150W
GE Profile	Opal 2.0 Nugget	220W

Picks that actually move the needle

Three products worth comparing if you're thinking about upgrading or supplementing what you have.

Some links below are affiliate links. If you buy, we may earn a small commission — it never changes the price you pay, and we only recommend picks we would stand behind.

hOmeLabs Countertop Ice Maker

Lowest watt draw in countertop category

$140-180

GE Profile Opal 2.0 Nugget Ice Maker

Higher watts but produces preferred chewable nugget ice

$500-620

Ice Maker Scale Remover

Scaled evaporators use 15-20% more energy

$15-20