Model
Liebherr W5250
Rank #6 means 5 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 100th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 100% of those models.
What does the Liebherr W5250 cost to run per year?
Out of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track, the Liebherr W5250 lands at rank #6 on cost, roughly $21 a year, a standout figure at the cheap end of the class. It uses 56% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $48/yr to run, a saving of roughly $27 a year. Size-adjusted, this model beats 100% of refrigerator models we track on efficiency, a standout even among the class's efficient models. 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 Liebherr HWgb 1803 at $19/yr runs a little cheaper and the Monogram ZIW241NBW**** at $22/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 W5250's $21/yr adds up to roughly $252 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs. At rank #6 of 1,000, it is one of the single cheapest refrigerator models we track to run, in the top one percent on cost.
By the numbers
The Liebherr W5250 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 $21/yr, here is what the Liebherr W5250 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 W5250 costs about $210. That is roughly $270 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $480 over the same ten years.
How the Liebherr W5250 compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $21/yr, it runs about $43 a year cheaper than the class median of $64, and it is about $13 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $48/yr, the Liebherr W5250 uses 56% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 13.1 cu ft, the Liebherr W5250 is a mid-size refrigerator for its class, which spans 1.2 to 31.7 cu ft with a median of 12.6 cu ft, right in the middle of the capacity range, so capacity is roughly a wash compared with the rest of the class.
- 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 W5250 cheap to run?
Yes. Its $21/yr running cost puts it at rank #6 of 1,000, below what most refrigerator models we track cost to run.
How much does the Liebherr W5250 cost per month?
About $1.76 a month, which is the $21 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: 114 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $21 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Liebherr W5250 for its size?
100th 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
Source
ES_1017655_W5250_092720242006333_4853815View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Liebherr and W5250 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.