Model
Danby Designer DCR044A2*
Rank #174 means 173 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 30th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 30% of those models.
What does the Danby Designer DCR044A2* cost to run per year?
The Danby Designer DCR044A2* runs for about $42 a year, landing it near the bottom of the cost table at rank #174 of 1,000 refrigerator models we track. It uses 11% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $47/yr to run, a saving of roughly $5 a year. Its size-adjusted efficiency percentile of 30 suggests its capacity is doing more work than its efficiency to keep the headline cost down. This class has no published efficiency-factor figure beyond annual kWh itself, so at 4.4 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 Arctic King ARM44S5ABB at $42/yr runs a little cheaper and the Frigidaire EFR489-COTTON-6COM at $42/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 Danby Designer DCR044A2*'s $42/yr adds up to roughly $504 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Arctic King ARM44S5ABB.
By the numbers
The Danby Designer DCR044A2* 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 $42/yr, here is what the Danby Designer DCR044A2* adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Danby Designer DCR044A2* costs about $420. That is roughly $50 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $470 over the same ten years.
How the Danby Designer DCR044A2* compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $42/yr, it runs about $22 a year cheaper than the class median of $64, and it is about $34 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $47/yr, the Danby Designer DCR044A2* uses 11% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 4.4 cu ft, the Danby Designer DCR044A2* is a small refrigerator for its class, which spans 1.2 to 31.7 cu ft with a median of 12.6 cu ft, and smaller refrigerator models generally cost less to run for the same job, all else being equal.
- 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 Danby Designer DCR044A2* cheap to run?
Yes. Its $42/yr running cost puts it at rank #174 of 1,000, below what most refrigerator models we track cost to run.
How much does the Danby Designer DCR044A2* cost per month?
About $3.5 a month, which is the $42 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: 226 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $42 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Danby Designer DCR044A2* for its size?
30th 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 174 | Arctic King ARM44S5ABB4.4 cu ft | $42 |
| 173 | Frigidaire EFRF7009-WHITE7 cu ft | $42 |
| 172 | Microfridge 2.3MF4RW2.3 cu ft | $41 |
| 171 | Roomwell REFNFR17001.7 cu ft | $41 |
| 170 | Whirlpool WH35**E3.4 cu ft | $41 |
Source
ES_0031682_DCR044A2*_06102014033951_2718267View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Danby Designer and DCR044A2* 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.