Ice, chiller or chest freezer: what’s cheapest over 5 years?
The cheapest plunge to buy is often not the cheapest to own. How often you plunge and where you buy ice decide it. Set your habits, then edit any price.
Prices read 21 Oct 2026 · Rates: EIA July 2026Your habits
Insulated tub + bagged ice
Preset: Ice Barrel 500 (94 gal, R-16, lifetime warranty), $300 shipping (S11). No power needed.
Same tub + plug-in chiller
Preset: Ice Barrel 500 + Ice Barrel Chiller, 1/2 HP, 1-year warranty (S12). Ice Barrel publishes no kWh/day; the range is other makers’ published figures (S15, S16).
All-in chiller plunge
Enter today’s price (e.g. The Plunge). Plunge’s own reference: ~4 kWh/day at 72°F room / 45°F water (S15, 2022).
Chest freezer conversion
Preset: GE 15.7 cu ft list price (S20) + a documented $618.89 parts list (S21). kWh: Energy Star rating (floor) to a small chiller’s figure (ceiling). No measured plunge figure exists (S24).
5-year totals
| Option | Upfront | Ice / power / upkeep | Total | Per plunge |
|---|
How we calculate this, and our sources
- Ice to chill a fresh fill = gallons × 8.34 lb × (tap − target °F) ÷ (143.5 + (target − 32)) BTU per lb. For 94 gal from 60°F to 45°F that’s ≈75 lb, a floor that ignores heat leaking in (S27, S28).
- Ice total = plunges × lb per plunge + water changes × fill ice. Cost = lb ÷ 20 × bag price (S25).
- Electricity = kWh/day × 365 × years × rate, as a low–high range. Chillers and freezers run 24/7 and cycle (S12, S16).
- Break-even = (chiller’s extra upfront + its electricity + extra upkeep − ice you’d still buy to re-chill fresh water) ÷ (ice cost per plunge × 52 × years).
- Upkeep lines are our editable assumptions, not published figures. Resale is $0. Water and sanitiser for the freezer build aren’t itemised.
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