Model
Whirlpool WHR33MBKE
Rank #129 means 128 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 21st efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 21% of those models.
What does the Whirlpool WHR33MBKE cost to run per year?
The Whirlpool WHR33MBKE runs for about $40 a year, landing it near the bottom of the cost table at rank #129 of 1,000 refrigerator models we track. It uses 11% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $45/yr to run, a saving of roughly $5 a year. Size-adjusted, this model trails most of its class on efficiency, ahead of just 21% of refrigerator models we track. This class has no published efficiency-factor figure beyond annual kWh itself, so at 3.2 cu ft (the class spans 1.2 to 31.7), size is the clearest lever we can point to for this model's running cost.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Upstreman BR321-Vintage Yellow at $40/yr runs a little cheaper and the Commercial Cool CCUK12W at $41/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 Whirlpool WHR33MBKE's $40/yr adds up to roughly $480 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Bangson US-BSR-100.
By the numbers
The Whirlpool WHR33MBKE 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 $40/yr, here is what the Whirlpool WHR33MBKE adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Whirlpool WHR33MBKE costs about $400. That is roughly $50 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $450 over the same ten years.
How the Whirlpool WHR33MBKE compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $40/yr, it runs about $24 a year cheaper than the class median of $64, and it is about $32 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 Whirlpool WHR33MBKE uses 11% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 3.2 cu ft, the Whirlpool WHR33MBKE is a small refrigerator for its class, which spans 1.2 to 31.7 cu ft with a median of 12.6 cu ft, at the small end of the class, capacity itself is doing a lot of the work to keep that figure down, separate from how efficient the unit actually is.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Whirlpool WHR33MBKE cheap to run?
Yes. Its $40/yr running cost puts it at rank #129 of 1,000, below what most refrigerator models we track cost to run.
How much does the Whirlpool WHR33MBKE cost per month?
About $3.37 a month, which is the $40 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: 218 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $40 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Whirlpool WHR33MBKE for its size?
21st 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_0022856_WHR33MBKE_03032025105029_80237610View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Whirlpool and WHR33MBKE 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.