Model
Sub-Zero DEC3050R**/*
Rank #477 means 476 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 94th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 94% of those models.
What does the Sub-Zero DEC3050R**/* cost to run per year?
Ranking #477 of 1,000, the Sub-Zero DEC3050R**/* runs at roughly $62 a year, neither the cheapest nor the priciest in its class. It uses 10% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $68/yr to run, a saving of roughly $6 a year. Adjusted for its size, it is more efficient than 94% of refrigerator models we track, a strong result once size is taken into account. 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 Mbm MRN14W at $62/yr runs a little cheaper and the Summit FF156B at $62/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 Sub-Zero DEC3050R**/*'s $62/yr adds up to roughly $744 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
By the numbers
The Sub-Zero DEC3050R**/* 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 $62/yr, here is what the Sub-Zero DEC3050R**/* adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Sub-Zero DEC3050R**/* costs about $620. That is roughly $60 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $680 over the same ten years.
How the Sub-Zero DEC3050R**/* compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $62/yr, it runs about $2 a year cheaper than the class median of $64, and it is about $54 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $68/yr, the Sub-Zero DEC3050R**/* uses 10% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 17.5 cu ft, the Sub-Zero DEC3050R**/* is a mid-size refrigerator for its class, which spans 1.2 to 31.7 cu ft with a median of 12.6 cu ft, right in the middle of the capacity range, so capacity is roughly a wash compared with the rest of the class.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Sub-Zero DEC3050R**/* cheap to run?
It is about average. At $62 a year it ranks #477 of 1,000 refrigerator models we track, close to the middle of its class on running cost.
How much does the Sub-Zero DEC3050R**/* cost per month?
Roughly $5.13/mo, spreading the $62/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 332 kWh from ENERGY STAR and multiply it by the US average residential electricity rate of $0.1856/kWh, giving about $62 a year. It is an electricity-only estimate and does not include purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Sub-Zero DEC3050R**/* for its size?
94th percentile once size is factored in, a fairly typical result for the class.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 476 | Mbm MRN14W14.3 cu ft | $62 |
| 475 | Mbm MRF7S7.4 cu ft | $62 |
| 474 | Finlux 463 TMF1436RSS14.3 cu ft | $62 |
| 473 | Equator RF142S14.3 cu ft | $62 |
| 472 | Criterion CTMR142C1B14.3 cu ft | $62 |
Source
ES_0031863_DEC3050R**/*_09262022111806_80141551View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Sub-Zero and DEC3050R**/* 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.