Most Efficient Small Refrigerators (16 to 19 cubic feet) – Top 3 Picks

A refrigerator is something that’s constantly plugged in, so it’s a great item in your house to try and save on energy costs – as appliances account for 17% of a typical home’s energy usage. We’ve looked at many different energy star rated refrigerators. This list gives you the top 3 efficient small refrigerators (all of these are in the 16 to 19 cubic feet range).

Efficiency was measured by which of these refrigerators uses the least amount of kilowatt hours per year – thus significantly using less energy per refrigerator.

If you would like to see more refrigerators beyond the top 3 that we’ve chosen, simply head over to the Energy Star Refrigerator Search, and select your search parameters. From there, you can sort your results from a variety of fashions, including kilowatt usage, % energy savings, and overall volume.

Here’s the list:


The Sunfrost R-19 is a refrigerator-only model. Instead of one large door, it features two equal sized refrigerator sections. As far as efficiency is concerned, this refrigerator is super efficient. It showcases a kwh/year usage of 204 and uses 53% less energy than the federal standard!

Unfortunately, if you’re looking for a freezer or an ice machine, you won’t find it on this refrigerator. However, a real cool feature of this fridge is that it will not need defrosting and the design incorporates a passive cooling system (it does not use any fans). Overall, it’s a solid refrigerator for your home.


The Gaggenau RC472700 is a sleek looking refrigerator that is very energy efficient. It boats a kwh/year usage of 319 and will use 29% less energy than the federal standard. It has a volume of 17.5 cubic feet and is 30 inches wide.

There are numerous features on this refrigerator, including a motorized glass shelf, multi-flow air system, temperature control, and doors that open up to a 115 degree angle!


The GE GTH17BBT is an energy star rated refrigerator/freezer combo. This one features the freezer on the top and the refrigerator on the bottom. Where efficiency matters, this refrigerator has a kwh/year usage of 324, using 30% less energy. It has a volume of 16.6 cubic feet.

Overall, this refrigerator is pretty standard. An optional ice maker is available, and it has all of the typical shelves, crispers, temperature controls, and is available in multiple colors (black, white, and bisque). It can usually be purchased for under $900, so it’s an efficient machine that is cost effective as well…you can’t beat that.

So as we’ve mentioned, a refrigerator is an excellent way to cut back on energy usage in the home. While these refrigerators here might not be the largest of the group, they will definitely help save you money and energy. Try one in your home today.

Do you feel we’ve missed one, or is there a refrigerator that falls in this range that you’re just absolutely crazy about? Leave us a comment and let us know!

7 thoughts on “Most Efficient Small Refrigerators (16 to 19 cubic feet) – Top 3 Picks”

  1. The Maytag® Bravos® laundry pair, available now nationwide, is among the most energy efficient on the market. It delivers a strong and dependable cleaning performance and comes at a budget friendly price. Starting at $549, the high-efficiency top load washer is ENERGY STAR® qualified and meets Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) Tier III energy specifications. This efficient pair also offers an additional savings for consumers of $2,000 off their electric bill over a 10-year period.

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    Please let me know if you’re interested in hearing more.

    April

  2. Before we pat ourselves on the back for having energy efficient frigs in the kitchen, lets take a vote. How many of us have a refrigerator in the garage that is at least 10 years old? Everyone I know has one. Those are absolutely inefficient clunkers that are sucking up the energy use. Not to mention they’re in the garage (which is 30 degrees hotter/cooler in the summer/winter time respectively) and probably don’t close like they used to, which adds to their inefficiency.

    Our kitchen frig is very energy efficient, but the garage one wasn’t. We finally got rid of it because it was running all the time. We can only buy 1 gallon of milk at a time, but it’s worth it.

  3. Although a bit higher on energy cost than the models that you have listed above, I thought I’d mention the LG LFC21776, which boasts a still relatively low 400 kWh/year, but it’s a French door refrigerator, which I’m an absolute sucker for!

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