Model
House Kobo UR-BCD398WE-SQ-**
Rank #482 means 481 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 80th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 80% of those models.
What does the House Kobo UR-BCD398WE-SQ-** cost to run per year?
At about $62 a year, the House Kobo UR-BCD398WE-SQ-** lands in the middle third of refrigerator models we track on running cost, rank #482 of 1,000. It uses 10% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $69/yr to run, a saving of roughly $7 a year. Its size-adjusted efficiency percentile of 80 means the low running cost is not just a function of size; it is genuinely efficient for its class. This class has no published efficiency-factor figure beyond annual kWh itself, so at 14.2 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 Gasland RG1014* at $62/yr runs a little cheaper and the Koolmore KM-TMR-14-W at $62/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 House Kobo UR-BCD398WE-SQ-**'s $62/yr adds up to roughly $744 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Danby DFF142E1BDB.
By the numbers
The House Kobo UR-BCD398WE-SQ-** 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 $62/yr, here is what the House Kobo UR-BCD398WE-SQ-** adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the House Kobo UR-BCD398WE-SQ-** costs about $620. That is roughly $70 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $690 over the same ten years.
How the House Kobo UR-BCD398WE-SQ-** compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $62/yr, it runs about $2 a year cheaper than the class median of $64, and it is about $54 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $69/yr, the House Kobo UR-BCD398WE-SQ-** uses 10% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 14.2 cu ft, the House Kobo UR-BCD398WE-SQ-** is a mid-size refrigerator for its class, which spans 1.2 to 31.7 cu ft with a median of 12.6 cu ft, putting it squarely in the middle of the class on the size lever that drives most of the cost.
- 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 House Kobo UR-BCD398WE-SQ-** cheap to run?
Roughly, yes. Its $62/yr figure is close to the class median, ranking #482 of 1,000, neither a bargain nor a splurge on running cost.
How much does the House Kobo UR-BCD398WE-SQ-** cost per month?
About $5.15 a month, which is the $62 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: 333 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $62 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the House Kobo UR-BCD398WE-SQ-** for its size?
80th percentile once size is factored in, a fairly typical result for the class.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 484 | Gasland RG1014*14.2 cu ft | $62 |
| 483 | Elisii DERTM142*W114.3 cu ft | $62 |
| 482 | Danby DFF142E1BDB14.2 cu ft | $62 |
| 481 | Black Decker BR1460HS14.6 cu ft | $62 |
| 480 | Avanti AVFF146DLJ#**14.6 cu ft | $62 |
Source
ES_1150317_UR-BCD398WE-SQ-**_042620240127720_1858764View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026House Kobo and UR-BCD398WE-SQ-** 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.