Read the Monthly Power Consumption on a Refrigerator's Energy Efficiency Label

Where does monthly power consumption sit on the label?

The Ministry of Government Legislation's everyday law information explains that the label is to show energy efficiency, CO2 emissions per hour of use, monthly or annual energy cost, the efficiency grade, and so on. The Korea Energy Agency's system overview says labels carried the grade and monthly power consumption, but because ordinary consumers found them hard to understand, annual energy cost was added.

The calculation method the agency gives is as follows.

Annual energy cost is worked out from annual power consumption data measured by a testing institution. These pages do not explain how monthly power consumption is derived.

What does the product search list show?

The columns in the Korea Energy Agency's electric refrigerator product search list are application number, company name, model name, monthly power consumption (kWh/month), capacity, efficiency grade, previous efficiency grade, completion date, and report confirmation. You can search by model name, company name, or application number, and you can also filter to products of a certain grade with the grade 1 to 5 buttons. On the date checked (October 6, 2026), the list had 5,547 entries in total, and the count changes as reports are added.

If monthly power consumption is low, is the grade high too?

Not always. The top two entries on the list on the date checked are an example.

The grade 3 product's monthly power consumption is lower than the grade 1 product's. In exchange, the number in the capacity column differs greatly. The order of grades and the order of monthly power consumption can disagree, so match capacity first and then compare monthly power consumption. The unit of the capacity column isn't written on the list screen.

Which refrigerators does this system cover?

The Korea Energy Agency's scope notice limits electric refrigerators to products with a compression-type cooling unit of 500W or less rated power consumption under KS C IEC 62552. Refrigerators and freezer-refrigerators with an effective volume of 1,000L or less are covered. Products outside the range are not covered by the system, so the notice says a grade label cannot be attached to them. Kimchi refrigerators and commercial electric refrigerators are separate categories.

What values on the label do you check before buying?

• Look up the model name to check that the label's monthly power consumption matches the value in the product search list.
• Pick two or more candidates with similar capacity and work out the difference in monthly power consumption yourself.
• Read the label's annual energy cost with the understanding that it is a comparison value calculated with a conversion factor.
• The agency has a notice that the efficiency grade can differ by manufacturing date, so don't compare grades directly between products with different manufacturing dates.