Model
Kitchenaid KBSD612ESS**
Rank #980 means 979 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 47th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 47% of those models.
What does the Kitchenaid KBSD612ESS** cost to run per year?
The Kitchenaid KBSD612ESS** costs about $140 a year to run, near the very top of the cost table for its class at rank #980 of 1,000. It uses 10% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $153/yr to run, a saving of roughly $13 a year. Efficiency-wise, once size is accounted for, it sits right around the class median, ahead of 47% of the 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 Samsung RF27T5501** at $138/yr runs a little cheaper and the Kitchenaid KBSD702M**** at $140/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 Kitchenaid KBSD612ESS**'s $140/yr adds up to roughly $1680 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
By the numbers
The Kitchenaid KBSD612ESS** 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 $140/yr, here is what the Kitchenaid KBSD612ESS** adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Kitchenaid KBSD612ESS** costs about $1400. That is roughly $130 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $1530 over the same ten years.
How the Kitchenaid KBSD612ESS** compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $140/yr, it runs about $76 a year above the class median of $64, and it is about $132 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $153/yr, the Kitchenaid KBSD612ESS** uses 10% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 25 cu ft, the Kitchenaid KBSD612ESS** 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.
- 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 Kitchenaid KBSD612ESS** cheap to run?
Its $140/yr running cost, rank #980 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 Kitchenaid KBSD612ESS** cost per month?
About $11.63 a month, which is the $140 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: 752 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $140 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Kitchenaid KBSD612ESS** for its size?
47th 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 979 | Samsung RF27T5501**26.5 cu ft | $138 |
| 978 | Zline RSM-W-3628.9 cu ft | $138 |
| 977 | Midea MRF29D9***28.9 cu ft | $138 |
| 976 | Kenmore 405.7562542128.9 cu ft | $138 |
| 975 | Whirlpool WRMF3736SW28.9 cu ft | $136 |
Source
ES_0022856_KBSD612ESS**_11222015014057_70054450View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Kitchenaid and KBSD612ESS** 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.