Model
Kitchenaid KBFN402ESS**
Rank #895 means 894 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 67th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 67% of those models.
What does the Kitchenaid KBFN402ESS** cost to run per year?
The Kitchenaid KBFN402ESS** costs about $117 a year to run, well up the cost table for its class at rank #895 of 1,000. It uses 10% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $129/yr to run, a saving of roughly $12 a year. Efficiency-wise, once size is accounted for, it edges out 67% of the class, a modestly above-average showing. Its listing marks it counter-depth, meaning it sits nearly flush with surrounding cabinets rather than protruding a few extra inches like a standard-depth model; that shallower body usually means less interior volume for the same footprint.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Ge GNE27JGM**** at $117/yr runs a little cheaper and the Kitchenaid KBFN542S**** at $117/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 Kitchenaid KBFN402ESS**'s $117/yr adds up to roughly $1404 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
By the numbers
The Kitchenaid KBFN402ESS** 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 $117/yr, here is what the Kitchenaid KBFN402ESS** adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Kitchenaid KBFN402ESS** costs about $1170. That is roughly $120 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $1290 over the same ten years.
How the Kitchenaid KBFN402ESS** compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $117/yr, it runs about $53 a year above the class median of $64, and it is about $109 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $129/yr, the Kitchenaid KBFN402ESS** uses 10% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 24.2 cu ft, the Kitchenaid KBFN402ESS** is a large refrigerator for its class, which spans 1.2 to 31.7 cu ft with a median of 12.6 cu ft, among refrigerator models, bigger capacity is the most common reason a running-cost figure lands on the high side, all else being equal.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Kitchenaid KBFN402ESS** cheap to run?
Its $117/yr running cost, rank #895 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 Kitchenaid KBFN402ESS** cost per month?
About $9.79 a month, which is the $117 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: 633 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $117 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Kitchenaid KBFN402ESS** for its size?
67th 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 894 | Ge GNE27JGM****27 cu ft | $117 |
| 893 | Lg LRFLC2706*26.5 cu ft | $117 |
| 892 | Lg LF27BCH54*26.5 cu ft | $117 |
| 891 | Thermador T42BT120NS23.1 cu ft | $117 |
| 890 | Samsung RF24BB6600**24 cu ft | $117 |
Source
ES_0022856_KBFN402ESS**_10142014101026_2769601View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Kitchenaid and KBFN402ESS** 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.