What the stars mean, and what the kWh a year figure means
The stars are a comparison, not a measurement. The regulator is explicit that the rating “considers the capacity of the appliance”, and its own worked example spells out what that means: a 10 kg clothes washer with 5 stars will use more energy than a 6 kg clothes washer that also carries 5 stars. Stars rank a model against the other models its own size, and that is the whole of what they promise.
The kWh-per-year figure printed under the stars is the opposite kind of number. It is an absolute quantity of electricity, measured on a standard test every manufacturer has to run the same way, and it is comparable between any two appliances of the same type whatever size they are. It is also the only number on the label that turns into money, because your bill is charged per kWh.
Hold the size still and the stars work
Among the 534 currently registered fridge-freezers between 400 and 500 litres, the median labelled consumption falls with every extra half star, from 429 kWh a year at 3 stars to 286 kWh at 5 stars, a gap of 143 kWh a year on a cabinet the same size. Those five bands cover 440 of the 534 models in the class. A thin 2-star and 2.5-star tail sits above them, and a small band of 5.5-star to 8-star models sits below, cheaper again.
Let the size move and the stars stop working
Now compare across sizes, which is what a shopper standing in front of a wall of fridges actually does. Across all 2,083 registered fridge-freezers, the typical 4-star model uses 353 kWh a year and the typical 3-star model 339 kWh. The higher-rated group is the thirstier group. Nothing is wrong with the ratings: the 4-star models have a median capacity of 450 litres against 311 litres for the 3-star ones, so each is being rated against its own size of competitor, not against the other. Counted model by model, 53% of registered 4-star fridge-freezers use more electricity a year than the median 3-star one.
Two real fridges on the shelf right now make the same point without a percentage. The LG GS-B600MBL carries 4 stars and is labelled at 470 kWh a year. The Panasonic NR-TV341 carries 3 stars and is labelled at 315 kWh. The higher-star fridge costs more to run because it is 655 litres against 306. Both labels are telling the truth. They are answering a question about their own size class, while the shopper is asking a question about the kitchen.
What this costs, state by state
The two ends of the fridge panel above, priced on each state's own regulated reference rate. This is the whole sum the label asks you to do: labelled kWh a year, times your rate. Figures above $100 are rounded to the nearest dollar, so South Australia's 5-star column reads $109 rather than $108.97.
| State | Rate | 3-star fridge, 429 kWh/yr | 5-star fridge, 286 kWh/yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 32.4¢ | $139 | $92.66 |
| Victoria | 29.8¢ | $128 | $85.23 |
| Queensland | 31.2¢ | $134 | $89.23 |
| South Australia | 38.1¢ | $163 | $109 |
| Western Australia | 33.6¢ | $144 | $96.10 |
| Tasmania | 28.9¢ | $124 | $82.65 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 27.4¢ | $118 | $78.36 |
| Northern Territory | 31.7¢ | $136 | $90.66 |
Reference rates for 2026–27. Your row is highlighted once you set your location.
Doing the sum on any label, in your state
Running cost is labelled kWh a year multiplied by what you pay per kWh, and that second half is the part the sticker cannot know. A reference rate of 32.4¢ a kWh in New South Wales against 38.1¢ in South Australia means the identical fridge, carrying the identical label, is a different proposition depending on which state it is plugged in. The table above does that sum for both ends of the fridge class, and our electricity cost calculator does it for any kWh figure you type in.
On anything that is not running continuously, the annual figure assumes a set number of cycles a year rather than your household's. A dishwasher figure is built on a fixed number of cycles and a washing machine figure on a standard warm wash, so the printed number is a fair basis for ranking two machines and a rough basis for predicting your own bill. Run half as many loads and you use roughly half as much.
Air conditioners have a different label
Reverse-cycle air conditioners moved to the Zoned Energy Rating Label, which is a different object rather than the same sticker with different numbers. Instead of one star rating there are separate cooling and heating ratings for three Australian climate zones, hot, mixed and cold, because the same unit performs differently in Darwin and in Hobart. Of the 5,405 registered models carrying a cooling rating for all three zones, 59% score differently in the cold zone than in the hot zone. Reading the wrong zone's stars is the aircon version of the size trap above: find your zone on the label first, then compare within it.
What the label cannot tell you
The test behind the number is standardised, which is what makes it fair between two models and also what stops it being a forecast of your bill. It does not know that the fridge lives in a hot garage, or that a ten-year-old door seal has stopped sealing, which is worth roughly a fifth of the running cost on its own. It carries no dollar figure, because dollars depend on your tariff. And it says nothing about purchase price, so the appliance that wins on the label can still lose over the years you own it.
Once the size is settled, the last step is ranking the models inside it, a job the label does one appliance at a time and we do in bulk. Our washing machine star-rating guide and its dishwasher counterpart work this same rule through one appliance class each, and the compare tables rank whole capacity classes by their labelled figures, so you can walk in with a shortlist instead of a sticker.
Common questions
Is a 5-star appliance always cheaper to run than a 4-star one?
Only if the two are the same size. The star rating compares a model against others of its own capacity, so a large 5-star fridge can easily use more electricity a year than a small 4-star one. Across the registered fridge-freezers on sale today, 53% of 4-star models use more than the median 3-star model, purely because they are bigger cabinets. Compare stars within a size, and compare the kWh-per-year figure across sizes.
How do I turn the label into a dollar figure?
Multiply the labelled kWh a year by your electricity rate. At the New South Wales reference rate of 32.4¢ a kWh, a fridge labelled 286 kWh a year costs about $93 a year to run. The table on this page does the same sum for all eight states, using each one's regulated reference rate.
How many stars can an appliance get?
The scale runs to 10 stars, with everything above 6 shown in the super efficiency band. Most of the market sits well below that: the highest-rated fridges in the registry today carry 8 stars, and the bulk of what a showroom stocks is between 2.5 and 5.
Why does the air conditioner label look different?
Because it is a different label. Reverse-cycle units carry the Zoned Energy Rating Label, with separate cooling and heating star ratings for hot, mixed and cold climate zones instead of one rating and one annual figure. 59% of registered models rate differently in the cold zone than the hot zone, so the stars that matter are the ones for the zone you live in. Our air conditioner running cost calculator prices a unit on its actual power draw instead.
Does the labelled kWh figure match what I will actually use?
Roughly, not exactly. It comes from a standardised test built on typical use, so it is a fair way to rank two models and an approximate way to predict a bill. How warm the room is and how worn the seals are both move the real number. Treat the label as a ranking tool first and a budgeting tool second.
Sources
Star rating comparability rules, the 10 kg-versus-6 kg worked example and the running cost formula, quoted directly: energyrating.gov.au, Understand the Energy Rating Label, the regulator's own explainer for the label this guide describes. Every fridge figure on this page (the star bands, the class medians, the capacities and the two named models) was read directly from the energyrating.gov.au registration database, Fridges and Freezers export, 17 August 2026 snapshot, filtered to models currently available and designated Refrigerator/Freezer (2,083 models, of which 534 fall between 400 and 500 litres). The air conditioner zone figures come from the same database's Air Conditioners export, same snapshot, counting the 5,405 available models carrying a cooling star rating for all three climate zones. Electricity rates, one regulated reference tariff per state, current for 2026–27: the AER Default Market Offer for NSW, south-east QLD and SA, the Victorian Default Offer for VIC, and the WA (Synergy Home Plan), Tasmanian (OTTER), ACT (ICRC) and NT (Electricity Pricing Order) regulated standing offers for the rest. This guide is general information, not a recommendation to buy any specific model.