Model
Ikea IRT138FD*0*
Rank #693 means 692 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 75th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 75% of those models.
What does the Ikea IRT138FD*0* cost to run per year?
At roughly $84 a year to run, ranking #693 of 1,000, the Ikea IRT138FD*0* costs more than the typical refrigerator model we track. It uses 10% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $92/yr to run, a saving of roughly $8 a year. Efficiency-wise, once size is accounted for, it edges out 75% of the class, a modestly above-average showing. This class has no published efficiency-factor figure beyond annual kWh itself, so at 18.3 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 Truarctic TARBM1731SS at $84/yr runs a little cheaper and the Fisher & Paykel RF178WRNUX1 at $85/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 Ikea IRT138FD*0*'s $84/yr adds up to roughly $1008 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
By the numbers
The Ikea IRT138FD*0* 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 $84/yr, here is what the Ikea IRT138FD*0* adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Ikea IRT138FD*0* costs about $840. That is roughly $80 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $920 over the same ten years.
How the Ikea IRT138FD*0* compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $84/yr, it runs about $20 a year above the class median of $64, and it is about $76 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $92/yr, the Ikea IRT138FD*0* uses 10% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 18.3 cu ft, the Ikea IRT138FD*0* 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 Ikea IRT138FD*0* cheap to run?
Its $84/yr running cost, rank #693 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 Ikea IRT138FD*0* cost per month?
About $7.04 a month, which is the $84 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: 455 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $84 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Ikea IRT138FD*0* for its size?
75th 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 692 | Truarctic TARBM1731SS17.2 cu ft | $84 |
| 691 | Hisense RB17N3ESE17.2 cu ft | $84 |
| 690 | Hisense RB170P3ESEH17.2 cu ft | $84 |
| 689 | Frigidaire FFHI1835V*18.3 cu ft | $84 |
| 688 | Ellipse ERBM170W17.2 cu ft | $84 |
Source
ES_1092750_IRT138FD*0*_06022017051812_70139697View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Ikea and IRT138FD*0* 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.