Model
Ikea VÄLGRUNDAD
Rank #715 means 714 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 VÄLGRUNDAD cost to run per year?
At about $86 a year, the Ikea VÄLGRUNDAD costs more to run than most refrigerator models we track, rank #715 of 1,000. It uses 11% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $97/yr to run, a saving of roughly $11 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 18.7 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 Eurodesign RDBM191** at $86/yr runs a little cheaper and the L2 LRB19B5A*** at $86/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 VÄLGRUNDAD's $86/yr adds up to roughly $1032 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Appliance Basics HD676REWNSS.
By the numbers
The Ikea VÄLGRUNDAD 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 $86/yr, here is what the Ikea VÄLGRUNDAD 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 VÄLGRUNDAD costs about $860. That is roughly $110 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $970 over the same ten years.
How the Ikea VÄLGRUNDAD compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $86/yr, it runs about $22 a year above the class median of $64, and it is about $78 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $97/yr, the Ikea VÄLGRUNDAD uses 11% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 18.7 cu ft, the Ikea VÄLGRUNDAD 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 VÄLGRUNDAD cheap to run?
Its $86/yr running cost, rank #715 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 VÄLGRUNDAD cost per month?
About $7.21 a month, which is the $86 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: 466 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $86 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Ikea VÄLGRUNDAD 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 718 | Eurodesign RDBM191**18.7 cu ft | $86 |
| 717 | Element ERBM19***18.7 cu ft | $86 |
| 716 | Criterion CBMR187M4*18.7 cu ft | $86 |
| 715 | Appliance Basics HD676REWNSS18.7 cu ft | $86 |
| 714 | Vissani MDFD18SS518.4 cu ft | $86 |
Source
ES_1092750_ VÄLGRUNDAD _09012020115637_80045444View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Ikea and VÄLGRUNDAD 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.