KitchenAid KBFN542S Running Cost (Refrigerator)
What the KitchenAid KBFN542S costs to run
The KitchenAid KBFN542S is certified by ENERGY STAR at 633 kWh a year, one of the more expensive models in its category to run among refrigerators currently certified.
That $119 is priced at 18.8¢/kWh, the average of all 51 state rates this site tracks. Your own state's rate is one click away.
Efficient, or not, for a refrigerator
The category average is 386 kWh/yr; this model runs 64% above it, ranking 4,231 of 4,704 refrigerators tracked here for running cost. That average is drawn from all 4,704 refrigerators ENERGY STAR currently certifies, not an outside number, a $46/year gap from this model at the national rate. Full sourcing is in the sourcing notes.
Right next to it on the list
A rank or two either side of the KitchenAid KBFN542S: KitchenAid KBFN502ESS ($119/yr, 633 kWh/yr), then KitchenAid KBFN542T ($119/yr, 633 kWh/yr).
Same brand, different models
Ranked 70 of KitchenAid's 100 certified refrigerators, this sits between the KUDR204KPA ($51/yr, the brand's cheapest) and the KSSC48QVS ($151/yr, its priciest).
Cost over its typical lifespan
NAHB's Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components puts a typical refrigerator's service life at 13 years; run the KitchenAid KBFN542S that long and it costs about $1,547 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Shopping for a new one
The KitchenAid KBFN542S runs above its category average. If the refrigerator you actually own is older still, likely well past ENERGY STAR's efficiency baseline when it was made, a current certified model could cost meaningfully less than this model's $119/year every year.
Worth comparing a few current certified models before deciding.
If you're keeping it
A refrigerator like the KitchenAid KBFN542S is a real household expense whether or not it needs replacing yet; a protection plan is one way to budget for a repair rather than a full replacement.
Where this number comes from
At rank 4,231 of 4,704 for running cost, see the refrigerator category page for the rest of the field, or the guide to how much your state matters. The 633 kWh/yr figure is ENERGY STAR's own certification, not a wattage estimate; exact dataset IDs are on the data sources page.