Model
Viking VCSB5423*****
Rank #955 means 954 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 56th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 56% of those models.
What does the Viking VCSB5423***** cost to run per year?
Out of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track, the Viking VCSB5423***** lands at rank #955 on cost, roughly $131 a year, one of the most expensive figures in the class. It uses 10% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $144/yr to run, a saving of roughly $13 a year. Capacity-normalized, it ranks ahead of 56% of refrigerator models we track, right in the class's middle band. Counter-depth construction, which this model has, generally means a shallower cabinet and less interior volume than a standard-depth model the same width, a tradeoff worth knowing if you are comparing it on cubic feet.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Samsung RF29DB9700** at $131/yr runs a little cheaper and the Samsung RF32CG5100** at $132/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 Viking VCSB5423*****'s $131/yr adds up to roughly $1572 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
By the numbers
The Viking VCSB5423***** 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 $131/yr, here is what the Viking VCSB5423***** adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Viking VCSB5423***** costs about $1310. That is roughly $130 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $1440 over the same ten years.
How the Viking VCSB5423***** compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $131/yr, it runs about $67 a year above the class median of $64, and it is about $123 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $144/yr, the Viking VCSB5423***** uses 10% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 25.4 cu ft, the Viking VCSB5423***** 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 Viking VCSB5423***** cheap to run?
Its $131/yr running cost, rank #955 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 Viking VCSB5423***** cost per month?
About $10.92 a month, which is the $131 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: 706 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $131 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Viking VCSB5423***** for its size?
56th 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 954 | Samsung RF29DB9700**29 cu ft | $131 |
| 953 | Bosch B36FD51SN*26.3 cu ft | $130 |
| 952 | Bosch B36FD10EN*26.3 cu ft | $130 |
| 951 | Ge GFE26JGM****25.6 cu ft | $130 |
| 950 | Lg LY24Z6231*23.7 cu ft | $130 |
Source
ES_0031770_VCSB5423*****_03022015111327_70024841View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Viking and VCSB5423***** 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.