Model
Liebherr FDBC36S
Rank #881 means 880 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 43rd efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 43% of those models.
What does the Liebherr FDBC36S cost to run per year?
The Liebherr FDBC36S costs about $115 a year to run, well up the cost table for its class at rank #881 of 1,000. It uses 14% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $131/yr to run, a saving of roughly $16 a year. Its size-adjusted efficiency percentile of 43 lands in the middle of the pack once capacity is accounted for. 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 Samsung RF23BB8900** at $115/yr runs a little cheaper and the Samsung RF70F23DE* at $115/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 Liebherr FDBC36S's $115/yr adds up to roughly $1380 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
By the numbers
The Liebherr FDBC36S 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 $115/yr, here is what the Liebherr FDBC36S adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Liebherr FDBC36S costs about $1150. That is roughly $160 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $1310 over the same ten years.
How the Liebherr FDBC36S compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $115/yr, it runs about $51 a year above the class median of $64, and it is about $107 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $131/yr, the Liebherr FDBC36S uses 14% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 19 cu ft, the Liebherr FDBC36S 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.
- 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 Liebherr FDBC36S cheap to run?
Its $115/yr running cost, rank #881 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 Liebherr FDBC36S cost per month?
About $9.59 a month, which is the $115 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: 620 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $115 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Liebherr FDBC36S for its size?
43rd percentile once size is factored in. That means its size-adjusted efficiency is not the main reason for the running-cost figure above; its capacity plays a large role too.
Cheaper to run in the same class
Source
ES_1017655_FDBC36S_051920261307165_1073755View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Liebherr and FDBC36S 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.