Model
Frigidaire FRTE2246AB
Rank #640 means 639 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 95th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 95% of those models.
What does the Frigidaire FRTE2246AB cost to run per year?
Among the 1,000 refrigerator models we track, the Frigidaire FRTE2246AB's $75/yr running cost ranks it #640, in the above-average-cost group. It uses 10% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $83/yr to run, a saving of roughly $8 a year. Few refrigerator models we track are more efficient for their size than this one; its size-adjusted efficiency percentile of 95 is near the top of the class. This class has no published efficiency-factor figure beyond annual kWh itself, so at 21.8 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 Frigidaire FRTE2223AW at $75/yr runs a little cheaper and the Ge GLE12HSP**** at $75/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 Frigidaire FRTE2246AB's $75/yr adds up to roughly $900 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Frigidaire FRTE2223AW.
By the numbers
The Frigidaire FRTE2246AB 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 $75/yr, here is what the Frigidaire FRTE2246AB 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 FRTE2246AB costs about $750. That is roughly $80 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $830 over the same ten years.
How the Frigidaire FRTE2246AB compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $75/yr, it runs about $11 a year above the class median of $64, and it is about $67 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $83/yr, the Frigidaire FRTE2246AB uses 10% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 21.8 cu ft, the Frigidaire FRTE2246AB is a large refrigerator for its class, which spans 1.2 to 31.7 cu ft with a median of 12.6 cu ft, and larger refrigerator models generally cost more to run than smaller ones in the same class, simply because there is more to keep cold, spin, heat, or light.
- 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 Frigidaire FRTE2246AB cheap to run?
Its $75/yr running cost, rank #640 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 Frigidaire FRTE2246AB cost per month?
About $6.22 a month, which is the $75 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: 402 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $75 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Frigidaire FRTE2246AB for its size?
95th 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 640 | Frigidaire FRTE2223AW21.8 cu ft | $75 |
| 639 | Galanz GLR12B**R1612 cu ft | $74 |
| 638 | Beko BBBF2410IM28 cu ft | $74 |
| 637 | Unique UGP-340L W AC11.7 cu ft | $74 |
| 636 | Unique UGP-340L E AC11.7 cu ft | $74 |
Source
ES_1021080_FRTE2246AB_120320252056767_7173945View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Frigidaire and FRTE2246AB 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.