Model
Upstreman UF212
Rank #409 means 408 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 99th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 99% of those models.
What does the Upstreman UF212 cost to run per year?
Ranking #409 of 1,000, the Upstreman UF212 runs at roughly $58 a year, neither the cheapest nor the priciest in its class. It uses 11% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $65/yr to run, a saving of roughly $7 a year. Adjusted for its size, it is more efficient than 99% of refrigerator models we track, one of the strongest results in the whole class. At 21.2 cu ft, it is a large refrigerator for the class, which runs 1.2 to 31.7 cu ft; size and efficiency are the two levers behind the figure above, and this dataset does not carry a separate efficiency-factor column for this class.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Professional Series PS-UFR211-I3B at $58/yr runs a little cheaper and the Marathon MFF122* at $58/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 Upstreman UF212's $58/yr adds up to roughly $696 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Black+Decker BUC2120M*.
By the numbers
The Upstreman UF212 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 $58/yr, here is what the Upstreman UF212 adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Upstreman UF212 costs about $580. That is roughly $70 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $650 over the same ten years.
How the Upstreman UF212 compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $58/yr, it runs about $6 a year cheaper than the class median of $64, and it is about $50 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $65/yr, the Upstreman UF212 uses 11% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 21.2 cu ft, the Upstreman UF212 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.
- Interior volume. Cubic feet of interior volume is the first thing that scales a fridge's running cost up or down, before compressor quality even enters the picture.
- Counter depth vs standard depth. Counter-depth models sit flush with cabinets but usually hold less interior volume than a standard-depth model of the same width, which can nudge the per-cubic-foot running cost either way.
- Compressor technology. Newer variable-speed (inverter) compressors modulate output instead of cycling fully on and off, which tends to use less energy for the same cooling job than an older fixed-speed compressor.
- Placement and ventilation. A fridge pushed tight against a wall or cabinet, or standing next to an oven or in direct sun, works harder to shed the heat its compressor produces, which can push real-world cost above the published figure.
Common questions
Is the Upstreman UF212 cheap to run?
It is about average. At $58 a year it ranks #409 of 1,000 refrigerator models we track, close to the middle of its class on running cost.
How much does the Upstreman UF212 cost per month?
Roughly $4.86/mo, spreading the $58/yr estimate evenly across twelve months at $0.1856/kWh. Actual monthly bills swing with your rate and usage pattern.
How is this running-cost figure calculated?
We take the model's published annual energy use of 314 kWh from ENERGY STAR and multiply it by the US average residential electricity rate of $0.1856/kWh, giving about $58 a year. It is an electricity-only estimate and does not include purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Upstreman UF212 for its size?
99th percentile once size is factored in, a fairly typical result for the class.
Cheaper to run in the same class
Source
ES_1144488_UF212_11042024145436_80230275View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Upstreman and UF212 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.