Is a Second Fridge Worth It for Christmas?
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The second fridge earns its keep for about three days a year. Christmas Day, maybe Boxing Day, maybe New Year's Eve. For the remaining 362 days it sits in a hot garage holding four beers and a bag of frozen peas, and costs you money every single one of them.
Here's the honest arithmetic, because "but we need it for Christmas" is the reason most of these fridges survive another year.
What it actually costs
Work it out for yours:
- Find the annual kWh figure on the energy label or the compliance plate inside the door
- Multiply by your electricity rate — roughly 30–45c per kWh is reasonable planning for Sydney
- Add 30–60% for the garage — label figures are measured in controlled conditions, not in a 45°C shed
An old fridge rated at 600–800 kWh a year, running hot, lands somewhere between $250 and $400 annually. Over ten years that's more than most second fridges are worth several times over.
And summer is the worst of it. December, January and February — the months you actually want the extra space — are also when the fridge is working hardest and costing the most.
The honest comparison
Say the second fridge costs you $300 a year and you genuinely use the extra capacity three days.
That's $100 per day of use.
For $100 a day you could hire a party fridge for the weekend, buy a very large esky and three bags of ice, or simply run the main fridge more carefully for two days. All three cost less than the standing charge.
The alternatives that actually work
- A good esky and ice. Genuinely the answer for drinks, which is what most of the extra capacity gets used for. Drinks don't need refrigeration — they need to be cold on the day. An esky does that for the cost of ice.
- Hire a fridge for the weekend if you host at scale. Cheaper annually than running one year-round.
- Shop closer to the day. A lot of second-fridge demand is created by buying everything a week early.
- Borrow neighbours' freezer space for the one or two things that genuinely need it.
- Empty the main fridge first. Most fridges are running at half capacity in condiments nobody has opened since last Christmas.
When a second fridge does make sense
Being fair about it:
- You entertain regularly, not once a year
- Large household that genuinely runs out of space weekly
- You buy meat in bulk and the freezer capacity saves real money
- It's a modern, efficient unit rated for the ambient temperature it's in
- It's in a cool, ventilated space rather than a west-facing garage
If two or more of those apply, keep it. If none do, you're paying a few hundred dollars a year for three days of convenience.
The two-week test
Unplug it for two weeks. If nobody notices and nothing had to change, that's your answer.
Do it in autumn rather than December, when the stakes feel lower and you'll actually go through with it.
If you decide it goes
It can't go on the kerb without a booked council collection — illegal dumping, and it's fineable. And every fridge contains refrigerant in a sealed circuit that has to be recovered by a licensed handler before the unit is crushed. Why that matters.
We collect fridges and freezers — $80 for a small–medium unit, $150 for a large one — within 24–48 hours across Sydney. You don't need to remove the doors or be home, provided the fridge is outside at the agreed kerbside collection point before pickup. Please arrange safe placement there in advance. Collections run Monday to Friday, 6am–4pm. More on the garage fridge.
Frequently asked questions
What if I regret it next December?
Hiring one for the weekend costs less than a year of running the old one. You're not locked out of anything.
Is a newer second fridge okay?
Much better — modern units use a fraction of the power. It's specifically the fifteen-year-old one in a hot garage that's the problem.
Would selling it be better?
The second-hand market for old fridges is thin, because the running cost outweighs the purchase saving for a buyer. Free listings move; paid ones often don't.
Chest freezer as well?
Same maths, and usually worse — freezers run colder and work harder. Same pricing as a fridge ($80 small–medium, $150 large), same trip.