Model
Zline RBCFVL-18
Rank #420 means 419 of the 622 freezer models we track cost less to run each year; the 17th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 17% of those models.
What does the Zline RBCFVL-18 cost to run per year?
Do the math and the Zline RBCFVL-18's $84/yr puts it at rank #420 of 622, on the pricier side of the class. It uses 11% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $92/yr to run, a saving of roughly $8 a year. Normalized for capacity, it beats only 17% of freezer models we track, one of the weaker efficiency results we track for the class. At 8.7 cu ft, it is a small freezer for the class, which runs 1.1 to 23 cu ft; size and efficiency are the two levers behind the figure above, and this dataset does not carry a separate efficiency-factor column for this class.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Vitara VBCR1660EWE at $84/yr runs a little cheaper and the Gaggenau RF463706 at $84/yr runs a little more, a sense of how tightly models are packed at this point in the ranking. A freezer typically stays in service for somewhere around 14 years; over that span, the Zline RBCFVL-18's $84/yr adds up to roughly $1176 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Bertazzoni REF18FCBIPLV.
By the numbers
The Zline RBCFVL-18 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 $84/yr, here is what the Zline RBCFVL-18 adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Zline RBCFVL-18 costs about $840. That is roughly $80 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $920 over the same ten years.
How the Zline RBCFVL-18 compares
The freezer class we track runs from $25 to $120 a year. At $84/yr, it runs about $9 a year above the class median of $75, and it is about $59 a year more than the cheapest freezer to run at $25. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $92/yr, the Zline RBCFVL-18 uses 11% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 8.7 cu ft, the Zline RBCFVL-18 is a small freezer for its class, which spans 1.1 to 23 cu ft with a median of 13.8 cu ft, less capacity to service is usually the first reason a running-cost figure lands on the low side, before efficiency even enters the picture.
- Interior volume. Cubic feet of frozen storage is the first lever behind a freezer's running cost, ahead of insulation or defrost type.
- Insulation and defrost type. Two freezers of the same size can differ meaningfully on running cost based on insulation quality and whether they run an automatic-defrost heater.
- Chest vs upright design. Chest freezers open from the top, so cold air, which sinks, stays inside when the lid opens; upright freezers lose more cold air per door opening for a similar capacity.
Common questions
Is the Zline RBCFVL-18 cheap to run?
Not especially. At $84 a year it ranks #420 of 622 freezer models we track, in the pricier part of its class to run, though its size and features may still justify that for your needs.
How much does the Zline RBCFVL-18 cost per month?
Roughly $6.99/mo, spreading the $84/yr estimate evenly across twelve months at $0.1856/kWh. Actual monthly bills swing with your rate and usage pattern.
How is this running-cost figure calculated?
We take the model's published annual energy use of 452 kWh from ENERGY STAR and multiply it by the US average residential electricity rate of $0.1856/kWh, giving about $84 a year. It is an electricity-only estimate and does not include purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Zline RBCFVL-18 for its size?
17th percentile once size is factored in. That means its size-adjusted efficiency is not the main reason for the running-cost figure above; its capacity plays a large role too.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 427 | Vitara VBCR1660EWE8.7 cu ft | $84 |
| 426 | Kucht KR180TF8.7 cu ft | $84 |
| 425 | Koolmore KM-PRC-F188.7 cu ft | $84 |
| 424 | Hallman HRBIAF18PR8.7 cu ft | $84 |
| 423 | Fulgor Milano FM4CF18IFBI8.7 cu ft | $84 |
Source
ES_1145610_RBCFVL-18_03292023132335_5841638View certified freezer listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Zline and RBCFVL-18 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.