Model
Frigidaire FFBD1831UB
Rank #379 means 378 of the 709 dishwasher models we track cost less to run each year; the 7th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 7% of those models.
What does the Frigidaire FFBD1831UB cost to run per year?
The Frigidaire FFBD1831UB costs about $45 a year to run, a fairly typical figure for the class; it ranks #379 of 709. It uses 21.8% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $57/yr to run, a saving of roughly $12 a year. Size-adjusted, this model ranks near the bottom of its class on efficiency, ahead of just 7% of dishwasher models we track. This class has no published efficiency-factor figure beyond annual kWh itself, so at 8 place settings (the class spans 2 to 18), size is the clearest lever we can point to for this model's running cost.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Frigidaire FDSR4501**** at $45/yr runs a little cheaper and the Frigidaire FFBD1831US at $45/yr runs a little more, a sense of how tightly models are packed at this point in the ranking. A dishwasher typically stays in service for somewhere around 9 years; over that span, the Frigidaire FFBD1831UB's $45/yr adds up to roughly $405 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Black+Decker BPD8B.
By the numbers
The Frigidaire FFBD1831UB normalized against its whole class, so each figure means something.
What it costs you over time
Running cost is an every-year number, so it compounds. At $45/yr, here is what the Frigidaire FFBD1831UB adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Frigidaire FFBD1831UB costs about $450. That is roughly $120 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $570 over the same ten years.
How the Frigidaire FFBD1831UB compares
The dishwasher class we track runs from $15 to $45 a year. At $45/yr, it runs about $1 a year above the class median of $44, and it is about $30 a year more than the cheapest dishwasher to run at $15. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $57/yr, the Frigidaire FFBD1831UB uses 21.8% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 8 place settings, the Frigidaire FFBD1831UB is a small dishwasher for its class, which spans 2 to 18 place settings with a median of 14 place settings, and smaller dishwasher models generally cost less to run for the same job, all else being equal.
- Place-setting capacity. Place-setting capacity is the main driver of how much water a cycle has to heat, and heating that water is most of a dishwasher's electricity use.
- Water heating. Most dishwashers have a booster heater that raises incoming water to sanitizing temperature; this heating step, not the pump or motor, accounts for most of a cycle's electricity use.
- Cycle length and drying method. Heavy or sanitize cycles run longer and hotter than a normal or eco cycle, and heated-dry options cost more to run than air-dry or condensation drying.
Common questions
Is the Frigidaire FFBD1831UB cheap to run?
Roughly, yes. Its $45/yr figure is close to the class median, ranking #379 of 709, neither a bargain nor a splurge on running cost.
How much does the Frigidaire FFBD1831UB cost per month?
About $3.71 a month, which is the $45 annual estimate spread across twelve months at the US average rate of $0.1856/kWh. Your own bill scales with your local electricity rate and how heavily you use it.
How is this running-cost figure calculated?
The formula is annual kWh times price per kWh: 240 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $45 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Frigidaire FFBD1831UB for its size?
7th percentile once size is factored in, a fairly typical result for the class.
Cheaper to run in the same class
Source
ES_1021080_FFBD1831UB_041120230257234_1224583View certified dishwasher listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Frigidaire and FFBD1831UB are used here for identification only and are not endorsements. Figures are computed by WattWise Labs from public ENERGY STAR data, not measured in our own lab.