Model
Insignia NS-CF17BK26
Rank #228 means 227 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 1st efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 1% of those models.
What does the Insignia NS-CF17BK26 cost to run per year?
The Insignia NS-CF17BK26 costs about $46 a year to run, which beats most of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track; it ranks #228. It uses 11% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $51/yr to run, a saving of roughly $5 a year. Its size-adjusted efficiency percentile of 1 means its running cost, whatever it is, owes almost nothing to efficiency and almost everything to capacity. This class has no published efficiency-factor figure beyond annual kWh itself, so at 1.7 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 Comfee CERM17B0AIX at $46/yr runs a little cheaper and the Midea MERM17B0A** at $46/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 Insignia NS-CF17BK26's $46/yr adds up to roughly $552 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Comfee CERM17B0AIX.
By the numbers
The Insignia NS-CF17BK26 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 $46/yr, here is what the Insignia NS-CF17BK26 adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Insignia NS-CF17BK26 costs about $460. That is roughly $50 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $510 over the same ten years.
How the Insignia NS-CF17BK26 compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $46/yr, it runs about $18 a year cheaper than the class median of $64, and it is about $38 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $51/yr, the Insignia NS-CF17BK26 uses 11% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 1.7 cu ft, the Insignia NS-CF17BK26 is a small refrigerator for its class, which spans 1.2 to 31.7 cu ft with a median of 12.6 cu ft, and smaller refrigerator models generally cost less to run for the same job, all else being equal.
- 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 Insignia NS-CF17BK26 cheap to run?
Yes. Its $46/yr running cost puts it at rank #228 of 1,000, below what most refrigerator models we track cost to run.
How much does the Insignia NS-CF17BK26 cost per month?
About $3.8 a month, which is the $46 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: 246 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $46 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Insignia NS-CF17BK26 for its size?
1st percentile once size is factored in, a fairly typical result for the class.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 228 | Comfee CERM17B0AIX1.7 cu ft | $46 |
| 227 | Upstreman FR17 Pro-White1.7 cu ft | $45 |
| 226 | Upstreman FR17 Pro-Pink1.7 cu ft | $45 |
| 225 | Upstreman FR17 Pro-Cream1.7 cu ft | $45 |
| 224 | U-Line RE1245.7 cu ft | $45 |
Source
ES_1030337_NS-CF17BK26_05202025130134_80251534View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Insignia and NS-CF17BK26 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.