Model
Summit LBF249
Rank #587 means 586 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 Summit LBF249 cost to run per year?
At about $69 a year, the Summit LBF249 lands in the middle third of refrigerator models we track on running cost, rank #587 of 1,000. It uses 15% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $81/yr to run, a saving of roughly $12 a year. Capacity-normalized, it ranks ahead of 40% of refrigerator models we track, right in the class's middle band. This class has no published efficiency-factor figure beyond annual kWh itself, so at 10.6 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 Liebherr SCB5790IM at $69/yr runs a little cheaper and the Bertazzoni REF24BMBPNB at $69/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 Summit LBF249's $69/yr adds up to roughly $828 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
By the numbers
The Summit LBF249 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 $69/yr, here is what the Summit LBF249 adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Summit LBF249 costs about $690. That is roughly $120 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $810 over the same ten years.
How the Summit LBF249 compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $69/yr, it runs about $5 a year above the class median of $64, and it is about $61 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $81/yr, the Summit LBF249 uses 15% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 10.6 cu ft, the Summit LBF249 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.
- 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 Summit LBF249 cheap to run?
Roughly, yes. Its $69/yr figure is close to the class median, ranking #587 of 1,000, neither a bargain nor a splurge on running cost.
How much does the Summit LBF249 cost per month?
About $5.72 a month, which is the $69 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: 370 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $69 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Summit LBF249 for its size?
40th percentile once size is factored in, a fairly typical result for the class.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 586 | Liebherr SCB5790IM12.7 cu ft | $69 |
| 585 | Amana ART348FFF***18.3 cu ft | $69 |
| 584 | Seasons MSTF18WHR518.1 cu ft | $68 |
| 583 | Midea UR-BCD512WX-SQ-IK18.1 cu ft | $68 |
| 582 | Midea MRT18D3***18.1 cu ft | $68 |
Source
ES_1123023_LBF249_101320211223207_8924606View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Summit and LBF249 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.