Model
Rca RFR320-PURPLE
Rank #47 means 46 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 24th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 24% of those models.
What does the Rca RFR320-PURPLE cost to run per year?
The Rca RFR320-PURPLE runs for about $37 a year, landing it in the very bottom slice of the cost table at rank #47 of 1,000 refrigerator models we track. It uses 19% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $45/yr to run, a saving of roughly $8 a year. Size-adjusted, this model trails most of its class on efficiency, ahead of just 24% of refrigerator models we track. 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 Rca RFR320-B-WHITE-COM at $37/yr runs a little cheaper and the Rca RFR321-BLACK at $37/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 Rca RFR320-PURPLE's $37/yr adds up to roughly $444 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Frigidaire EFR331-B-BLACK.
By the numbers
The Rca RFR320-PURPLE 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 $37/yr, here is what the Rca RFR320-PURPLE adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Rca RFR320-PURPLE costs about $370. That is roughly $80 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $450 over the same ten years.
How the Rca RFR320-PURPLE compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $37/yr, it runs about $27 a year cheaper than the class median of $64, and it is about $29 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $45/yr, the Rca RFR320-PURPLE uses 19% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 3.2 cu ft, the Rca RFR320-PURPLE 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.
- 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 Rca RFR320-PURPLE cheap to run?
Yes. Its $37/yr running cost puts it at rank #47 of 1,000, below what most refrigerator models we track cost to run.
How much does the Rca RFR320-PURPLE cost per month?
About $3.05 a month, which is the $37 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: 197 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $37 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Rca RFR320-PURPLE for its size?
24th 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_1120898_RFR320-PURPLE_01292021130713_4406919View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Rca and RFR320-PURPLE 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.