Model
Cafe CVE28DP3NH**
Rank #984 means 983 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 60th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 60% of those models.
What does the Cafe CVE28DP3NH** cost to run per year?
Few refrigerator models we track cost as much to run as the Cafe CVE28DP3NH**; at about $140 a year it holds rank #984 of 1,000. It uses 5% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $147/yr to run, a saving of roughly $7 a year. Size-adjusted, this model beats 60% of refrigerator models we track on efficiency, better than most of its class. This class has no published efficiency-factor figure beyond annual kWh itself, so at 27.8 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 Cafe CVE28DM*NH** at $140/yr runs a little cheaper and the Cafe CVE28DP*ND** at $140/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 CVE28DP3NH**'s $140/yr adds up to roughly $1680 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Cafe CVE28DM*NC**.
By the numbers
The Cafe CVE28DP3NH** 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 $140/yr, here is what the Cafe CVE28DP3NH** 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 CVE28DP3NH** costs about $1400. That is roughly $70 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $1470 over the same ten years.
How the Cafe CVE28DP3NH** compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $140/yr, it runs about $76 a year above the class median of $64, and it is about $132 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $147/yr, the Cafe CVE28DP3NH** uses 5% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 27.8 cu ft, the Cafe CVE28DP3NH** 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 CVE28DP3NH** cheap to run?
Its $140/yr running cost, rank #984 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 CVE28DP3NH** cost per month?
About $11.71 a month, which is the $140 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: 757 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $140 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Cafe CVE28DP3NH** for its size?
60th 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 985 | Cafe CVE28DM*NH**27.8 cu ft | $140 |
| 984 | Cafe CVE28DM*NC**27.8 cu ft | $140 |
| 983 | Samsung RF28R7201**28 cu ft | $140 |
| 982 | Lg LF31WSH63*30.7 cu ft | $140 |
| 981 | Kitchenaid KBSD702M****25.1 cu ft | $140 |
Source
ES_1123206_CVE28DP3NH**_09112025134431_80267006View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Cafe and CVE28DP3NH** 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.