Model
Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet UKS15W*1-5-****
Rank #2 means 1 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 40th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 40% of those models.
What does the Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet UKS15W*1-5-**** cost to run per year?
Out of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track, the Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet UKS15W*1-5-**** lands at rank #2 on cost, roughly $18 a year, a standout figure at the cheap end of the class. It uses 44% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $33/yr to run, a saving of roughly $15 a year. Efficiency-wise, once size is accounted for, it sits right around the class median, ahead of 40% of the models we track. It is a counter-depth model, built shallower to sit flush with kitchen cabinets, a design choice that typically trades away some interior volume (and so some running-cost headroom) for the built-in look.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Fisher & Paykel RS2435V2* at $8/yr runs a little cheaper and the Perlick URD24W*1-5-**** at $18/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 Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet UKS15W*1-5-****'s $18/yr adds up to roughly $216 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs. At rank #2 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 Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet UKS15W*1-5-**** 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 $18/yr, here is what the Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet UKS15W*1-5-**** adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet UKS15W*1-5-**** costs about $180. That is roughly $150 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $330 over the same ten years.
How the Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet UKS15W*1-5-**** compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $18/yr, it runs about $46 a year cheaper than the class median of $64, and it is about $10 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $33/yr, the Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet UKS15W*1-5-**** uses 44% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 2.8 cu ft, the Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet UKS15W*1-5-**** 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.
- 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 Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet UKS15W*1-5-**** cheap to run?
Yes. Its $18/yr running cost puts it at rank #2 of 1,000, below what most refrigerator models we track cost to run.
How much does the Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet UKS15W*1-5-**** cost per month?
About $1.53 a month, which is the $18 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: 99 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $18 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet UKS15W*1-5-**** for its size?
40th 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
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fisher & Paykel RS2435V2*4.3 cu ft | $8 |
Source
ES_1026078_UKS15W*1-5-****_111920251728577_8088748View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet and UKS15W*1-5-**** 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.