Your freezer temperature should sit at -18°C, and your fridge should stay below 5°C, ideally around 3°C. Together, these two settings keep your food safe while stopping your energy bills from creeping up. When you get them wrong, you end up wasting food, money, and electricity at the same time. This guide walks you through the right numbers and explains why they matter for your household. CSIRO Recommends keeping your freezer at -18°C. Food Standards Australia backs the same figure, and most Australian freezers are actually built to run at -18°C straight out of the box.
So, if you have never touched your freezer settings, there is a good chance you are already where you need to be.
Why -18°C Is the Right Number
To understand why -18°C works so well, it helps to know that freezing does not actually kill bacteria; it just stops them from growing. When food freezes, the water inside it turns to ice, and since bacteria need that water to multiply, they are left with nothing to work with. At -18°C, this process is complete, so your food sits locked in a safe, stable state. This is exactly the state you want to protect if you ever lose power and need an AGL Same-Day Connection to get your freezer running again fast. The problem starts when your freezer drifts away from that ideal number, and the table below shows what happens in each direction:
| Freezer temperature | What happens | Verdict |
| Warmer than -18°C (e.g. -15°C) | Food remains frozen, but its quality and storage life can decline more quickly. | Less suitable for long-term storage |
| Exactly -18°C | Food stays safely frozen, bacterial growth is halted, and the appliance operates efficiently. | Recommended setting |
| Colder than -18°C | Provides little additional food safety but may increase energy use. | Higher running costs |
As you can see, going warmer puts your food at risk even though it still looks frozen, while going colder just drives up your power bill for no real gain. That is why the ideal freezer temperature for Australian households should land right at -18°C, since it balances safe food against sensible running costs.
Do Not Forget the Fridge
Your freezer gets a lot of attention, but your fridge matters just as much, especially since you open it far more often throughout the day. To keep food safe, keep your fridge below 5°C and the fresh food section below 3°C. That setting keeps everything properly cold without freezing your milk or turning your lettuce to mush. One thing to know is that your fridge never maintains a single steady temperature, because cold air sinks and warm air rises. This creates a few different zones inside, which is why food keeps better when you store it in the right spot:
- Bottom Shelf: the coldest area, ideal for raw meat and dairy
- Top Shelf: slightly warmer, better suited to leftovers and drinks
- Crisper Drawers: kept warmer on purpose so fruit and veggies do not freeze
Staying within these zones matters because the range between 5°C and 60°C is known as the danger zone, where bacteria grow quickly. By holding your fridge below 5°C, you keep your food safely out of that range, which is exactly why the ideal fridge temperature Australian experts suggest sits around 3°C.
How to Check Your Temperatures
Knowing the right numbers only helps if you can actually measure them, and this is where many people slip up. Plenty of fridges only have a dial that runs from 1 to 5, and that dial isn’t the temperature; it’s just a rough intensity setting. So turning it to 5 does not mean 5°C, which is why guessing rarely gets you an accurate result.
The reliable way to check your real fridge temperature Australia-wide is to use a thermometer, and the steps are simple:
1. Place a fridge thermometer on the middle shelf and leave it for a few hours.
2. Read it, and if it shows above 5°C, turn your fridge down a notch.
3. Do the same in the freezer, aiming for a reading of -18°C or lower.
Since these thermometers cost only a few dollars from any supermarket or hardware store, they are well worth picking up. Once you have checked and adjusted, you can trust that your settings are actually doing their job rather than hoping the dial is set correctly. Keeping those settings dialed in also keeps your running costs steady, which pairs well with a plan like OVO Energy Australia that spreads your yearly electricity cost into equal monthly payments.
Why the Right Settings Save You Money
Getting your temperatures right protects more than your food, because it also keeps your running costs in check. A freezer set too cold runs the motor longer than it needs to, which quietly adds to your quarterly bill, while a fridge set too warm spoils food and forces you to replace groceries. Since both appliances run 24 hours a day, every day, they sit among the biggest energy users in most homes, so small adjustments genuinely add up over a year.
Alongside the right settings, a few simple habits help keep those costs down even further:
- Do not keep the door open unnecessarily, as cold air escapes quickly, and the motor works hard to replace it.
- Keep your freezer reasonably full, because frozen items hold the cold far better than empty air.
- Let hot food cool before putting it in, as warm food can cause the compressor to run overtime.
- Check the door seals, as a loose seal lets cold air constantly leak out.
If your appliance still struggles to hold -18°C even on the correct setting, then age may be the culprit, since older units lose efficiency over time. In that case, a newer model could pay for itself through lower running costs.
Picking the Right Energy Plan
Since your fridge and freezer run around the clock, the rate you pay for electricity has a real impact, because even a small difference adds up across a year of constant cooling. That makes it worth being on a plan, like AGL or OVO Energy Australia, with a competitive rate for your area. To see which one is suitable for your postcode, call Connect With Us on 1300 412 421 for a free comparison, since a few minutes now could save you a fair bit later.
Wrapping Up
Set your freezer to -18°C and your fridge below 5°C, ideally around 3°C, and you cover both food safety and sensible running costs in one go. Because dials can mislead you, use a cheap thermometer to check the real temperature rather than trusting the setting alone. From there, keeping doors shut, seals tight, and the freezer reasonably full helps your appliances run efficiently. And if you are moving, sort your power connection early so your frozen food never gets the chance to thaw.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What temperature should my freezer be in Australia?
Set it to -18°C, since this freezes food solid and stops bacteria from growing. Going colder only wastes electricity, while going warmer puts your food at risk over time.
Q: What is the ideal fridge temperature?
Keep your fridge below 5°C, ideally around 3°C, so your food stays out of the bacteria danger zone. This keeps everything properly cold without freezing your milk or fresh produce.
Q: How do I check my fridge temperature?
Use a fridge thermometer on the middle shelf, leave it for a few hours, and then read it. The dial on your fridge will not tell you, since it is an intensity setting rather than an actual temperature.
Q: How long does a freezer stay cold without power?
A full freezer holds -18°C for about 48 hours as long as the door stays shut, which is why getting power connected quickly matters when you move house. Once that window passes, the food inside starts to thaw.
Q: Does my fridge temperature affect my electricity bill?
Yes, because fridges and freezers run all day, every day, so setting them too cold quietly wastes power. Being on a competitive energy plan on top of that helps keep those ongoing running costs down.
