Model
Summit S4D18WIM
Rank #789 means 788 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 44th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 44% of those models.
What does the Summit S4D18WIM cost to run per year?
At roughly $100 a year to run, ranking #789 of 1,000, the Summit S4D18WIM costs more than the typical refrigerator model we track. It uses 10% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $110/yr to run, a saving of roughly $10 a year. Size-adjusted, this model sits close to the class median on efficiency, ahead of 44% of refrigerator models we track. This class has no published efficiency-factor figure beyond annual kWh itself, so at 17.3 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 Summit LRF4D184SSIM at $100/yr runs a little cheaper and the Frigidaire FRFG1723A* at $101/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 S4D18WIM's $100/yr adds up to roughly $1200 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Summit FDRD173SSIM, Summit LRF4D184SSIM.
By the numbers
The Summit S4D18WIM 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 $100/yr, here is what the Summit S4D18WIM 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 S4D18WIM costs about $1000. That is roughly $100 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $1100 over the same ten years.
How the Summit S4D18WIM compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $100/yr, it runs about $36 a year above the class median of $64, and it is about $92 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $110/yr, the Summit S4D18WIM uses 10% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 17.3 cu ft, the Summit S4D18WIM 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, neither the size advantage of a small unit nor the size penalty of a large one applies here, so its running cost is a fairer test of efficiency alone.
- 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 S4D18WIM cheap to run?
Its $100/yr running cost, rank #789 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 Summit S4D18WIM cost per month?
About $8.37 a month, which is the $100 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: 541 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $100 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Summit S4D18WIM for its size?
44th 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 788 | Summit LRF4D184SSIM17.3 cu ft | $100 |
| 787 | Summit FDRD173SSIM17.3 cu ft | $100 |
| 786 | Fisher & Paykel RF172****16.8 cu ft | $100 |
| 785 | Galanz GLR18F**S1617.9 cu ft | $100 |
| 784 | Fhiaba KS300TST6IU15.5 cu ft | $100 |
Source
ES_92282_S4D18WIM_071820252103764_5451685View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Summit and S4D18WIM 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.