Model
Cafe CAE28DM*T***
Rank #946 means 945 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 76th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 76% of those models.
What does the Cafe CAE28DM*T*** cost to run per year?
Among the 1,000 refrigerator models we track, the Cafe CAE28DM*T***'s $130/yr running cost ranks it #946, in the pricier fifth of the class. It uses 5% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $136/yr to run, a saving of roughly $6 a year. Efficiency-wise, once size is accounted for, it edges out 76% of the class, a modestly above-average showing. This class has no published efficiency-factor figure beyond annual kWh itself, so at 28.3 cu ft (the class spans 1.2 to 31.7), size is the clearest lever we can point to for this model's running cost.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Hisense RF254N6C*E at $129/yr runs a little cheaper and the Lg LF24WZP62* at $130/yr runs a little more, a sense of how tightly models are packed at this point in the ranking. A refrigerator typically stays in service for somewhere around 12 years; over that span, the Cafe CAE28DM*T***'s $130/yr adds up to roughly $1560 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
By the numbers
The Cafe CAE28DM*T*** 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 $130/yr, here is what the Cafe CAE28DM*T*** adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Cafe CAE28DM*T*** costs about $1300. That is roughly $60 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $1360 over the same ten years.
How the Cafe CAE28DM*T*** compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $130/yr, it runs about $66 a year above the class median of $64, and it is about $122 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $136/yr, the Cafe CAE28DM*T*** uses 5% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 28.3 cu ft, the Cafe CAE28DM*T*** is a large refrigerator for its class, which spans 1.2 to 31.7 cu ft with a median of 12.6 cu ft, size is usually the single biggest lever behind a running-cost figure, and at this end of the range there is more capacity to service, which tends to push the number up.
- Interior volume. More cubic feet of cold air to maintain generally means a bigger compressor and a higher running-cost figure, even among efficient models.
- Counter depth vs standard depth. Standard-depth models generally offer more interior volume per unit of width than counter-depth models, a tradeoff between built-in looks and cubic feet.
- Compressor technology. How a compressor cycles, full on/off versus a variable-speed inverter design, is one of the biggest hidden differences behind two fridges with similar cubic feet but different running costs.
- Placement and ventilation. Ventilation clearance around the back and top matters more than most owners expect; a fridge starved of airflow runs its compressor longer to hold the same temperature.
Common questions
Is the Cafe CAE28DM*T*** cheap to run?
Its $130/yr running cost, rank #946 of 1,000, is above what most refrigerator models we track cost to run, so this is not one of the cheaper picks on electricity alone.
How much does the Cafe CAE28DM*T*** cost per month?
About $10.81 a month, which is the $130 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: 699 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $130 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Cafe CAE28DM*T*** for its size?
76th percentile once size is factored in. That means its size-adjusted efficiency is a real factor in the running-cost figure above; its capacity plays a large role too.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 945 | Hisense RF254N6C*E25.4 cu ft | $129 |
| 944 | Lg LRSVS2706*27.1 cu ft | $129 |
| 943 | Bosch B26FT50SNS25 cu ft | $129 |
| 942 | Hisense HRM260N6T*E25.6 cu ft | $128 |
| 941 | Samsung RF70H30KE*29.5 cu ft | $128 |
Source
ES_1123206_CAE28DM*T***_10192023125948_80187595View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Cafe and CAE28DM*T*** 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.