Which Refrigerator Brand Costs Least to Run?

Among ENERGY STAR certified top-freezer refrigerators — the most common configuration, and the only fair way to compare brands head-to-head — Magic Chef has the lowest median running cost at about $56 a year, while Samsung has the highest among major brands at about $84 a year. Same job, same basic configuration, a $28-a-year gap driven by brand and model line alone.

Why top-freezer only: brands sell very different mixes of sizes and configurations, so comparing every model a brand makes would mostly measure product mix, not efficiency. Restricting the comparison to top-freezer models — 674 certified models across dozens of brands — controls for that.

Median running cost by brand (top-freezer refrigerators)

At the U.S. average electricity rate (18.83¢/kWh, EIA April 2026), sorted cheapest to priciest, for brands with at least 8 certified top-freezer models:

• Magic Chef — $55.93/yr median (297 kWh/yr, 17 models)
• Danby — $59.50/yr median (316 kWh/yr, 17 models)
• Summit — $62.52/yr median (332 kWh/yr, 45 models)
• LG — $68.86/yr median (366 kWh/yr, 12 models)
• Frigidaire — $71.46/yr median (379.5 kWh/yr, 78 models)
• Kenmore — $72.50/yr median (385 kWh/yr, 20 models)
• Whirlpool — $75.13/yr median (399 kWh/yr, 31 models)
• GE — $80.78/yr median (429 kWh/yr, 53 models)
• Samsung — $83.98/yr median (446 kWh/yr, 15 models)

See every certified top-freezer refrigerator in the data, or browse by brand — for example Magic Chef or Samsung.

Why do Samsung and GE run higher among top-freezer models?

This doesn’t mean Samsung or GE refrigerators are broadly "worse" — a median reflects whichever specific top-freezer models each brand currently has certified, which can include older listings still on ENERGY STAR’s database, different feature sets (icemakers, larger capacities), and a smaller model count for some brands (Samsung’s 15 certified top-freezer models is a small lineup compared with Frigidaire’s 78). The honest takeaway is directional, not a verdict on any single model — always check a specific model’s certified kWh figure rather than assuming based on brand alone.

How to use this if you’re shopping

Brand is a reasonable starting filter — a $28-a-year spread across otherwise-similar models is real money over a refrigerator’s 10-plus-year life — but it’s a starting point, not a substitute for checking the model. Use the full top-freezer list to compare specific models once you’ve narrowed by brand or size.

FAQ

Which refrigerator brand uses the least electricity? Among top-freezer models — the only configuration with enough certified models per brand for a fair comparison — Magic Chef and Danby have the lowest medians, at $55.93 and $59.50 a year.

Are Samsung refrigerators less energy-efficient? Among currently certified top-freezer models, Samsung’s median running cost is higher than most competitors, but this reflects a small, specific lineup (15 models) rather than a verdict on the brand overall. Check the specific model.

Does this ranking apply to side-by-side or French-door refrigerators too? No — this comparison is scoped to top-freezer models specifically. Other configurations would need their own same-type comparison, since brand mixes differ by configuration.

How much can brand choice alone change my electricity bill? About $28 a year between the cheapest and priciest major brands’ top-freezer medians in this data — real money over a refrigerator’s working life, but modest next to other factors like size and age.

Where can I check a specific refrigerator model’s certified running cost? See WattCost’s full certified refrigerator list, searchable by brand, size, and configuration.