Model
Ge GFE28GEL****
Rank #967 means 966 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 69th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 69% of those models.
What does the Ge GFE28GEL**** cost to run per year?
The Ge GFE28GEL**** costs about $135 a year to run, near the very top of the cost table for its class at rank #967 of 1,000. It uses 10% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $148/yr to run, a saving of roughly $13 a year. Capacity-normalized, it ranks ahead of 69% of refrigerator models we track, a reasonably strong result for the 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 Frigidaire FRFS282LAF at $135/yr runs a little cheaper and the Ge Profile PFE28KYN**** at $135/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 Ge GFE28GEL****'s $135/yr adds up to roughly $1620 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Cafe CFE28TP*M***.
By the numbers
The Ge GFE28GEL**** 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 $135/yr, here is what the Ge GFE28GEL**** adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Ge GFE28GEL**** costs about $1350. That is roughly $130 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $1480 over the same ten years.
How the Ge GFE28GEL**** compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $135/yr, it runs about $71 a year above the class median of $64, and it is about $127 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $148/yr, the Ge GFE28GEL**** uses 10% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 27.8 cu ft, the Ge GFE28GEL**** 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 Ge GFE28GEL**** cheap to run?
Its $135/yr running cost, rank #967 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 Ge GFE28GEL**** cost per month?
About $11.21 a month, which is the $135 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: 725 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $135 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Ge GFE28GEL**** for its size?
69th 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 968 | Frigidaire FRFS282LAF27.9 cu ft | $135 |
| 967 | Cafe CFE28TP*M***27.8 cu ft | $135 |
| 966 | Frigidaire GRMS2773A*26.3 cu ft | $134 |
| 965 | Cafe CVE28DM*NB**27.8 cu ft | $134 |
| 964 | Lg LRMDC2306*22.5 cu ft | $133 |
Source
ES_1123206_GFE28GEL****_11082017031754_70162006View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Ge and GFE28GEL**** 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.