New Zealand · costs in NZD
Bottom-mount fridge freezer · 2 doors
Smeg FA490RBL5AU Fridge
Smeg FA490RBL5AU is a 481 L bottom-mount fridge freezer registered for sale in New Zealand under the trans-Tasman E3 energy rating scheme (registration ARF2688).
- Total capacity
- 481 L
- 344 L fridge + 137 L freezer
- Energy rating
- 4.5
- Star rating index 4.65
- Annual electricity use
- 328 kWh
- Label figure (comparative energy consumption)
- Estimated running cost
- $108 / year
- $9.02 / month · $1,082 over 10 years
6% more electricity than the median of 70 comparable 400–499 L bottom-mount fridge freezer registrations (309 kWh a year). It uses less than 36% of them. At 33c/kWh that is about $6 a year more than the median, $63 over 10 years.
Uses 40% less than the maximum allowed for its size and type under the minimum energy performance standard (550 kWh a year MEPS level).
Cost = label kWh × 33c/kWh in NZD; change the price above to your tariff.
How efficient is it for its size?
Cohort: every currently registered 400–499 L bottom-mount fridge freezer sold in New Zealand, counted once per registration. Star ratings already account for size through the GEMS adjusted-volume formula; this comparison is in raw kWh against models a buyer would actually consider instead.
Smeg FA490RBL5AU running cost
- Per month
- $9.02
- Per year
- $108
- 5 years
- $541
- 10 years
- $1,082
328 kWh × 33c/kWh. No inflation or tariff change assumed. Fridges run continuously, so the label figure is a whole-year estimate under standard test conditions.
Capacity and compartments
- Total gross volume
- 481 L
- Fresh food (fridge) volume
- 344 L
- Frozen storage volume
- 137 L
- GEMS adjusted volume
- 589 L
- freezer compartment
- 137 L gross
- fresh food compartment
- 344 L gross
Gross volumes exclude shelving. Fresh food = fresh food, chill and cellar compartments; frozen = freezer, two-star and ice-making (zero-star) compartments. Adjusted volume weights frozen space more heavily and is what the government uses to set the star rating for the size.
Similar bottom-mount fridge freezers that use less electricity
Same type, total capacity within 12% of 481 L, at least 3% lower annual kWh.
| Model | Stars | Est. cost / yr | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haier HRF420BEC433 L155 kWh/yr | 8 | $51 | |
| Fisher & Paykel RF505BRNQX1515 L159 kWh/yr | 8 | $52 | |
| Haier HRF510BEC517 L169 kWh/yr | 8 | $56 | |
| Hisense HRBM503E503 L174 kWh/yr | 8 | $57 | |
| Electrolux EBE4302BE425 L190 kWh/yr | 7 | $63 |
Fridges similar to the Smeg FA490RBL5AU
| Model | Capacity | Stars | kWh / yr | Why similar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Konka KRF-480W 1% smaller, same door count, similar star rating | 475 L | 4 | 380 | 1% smaller, same door count, similar star rating |
| Haier HRF520BHC 3% larger, same door count, similar star rating | 493 L | 5 | 306 | 3% larger, same door count, similar star rating |
| Haier HRF520BG2 3% larger, same door count, similar star rating | 493 L | 5 | 306 | 3% larger, same door count, similar star rating |
| Westinghouse WBE5304SC 3% larger, same door count, similar star rating | 496 L | 5 | 309 | 3% larger, same door count, similar star rating |
| Westinghouse WBE5300SC 3% larger, same door count, similar star rating | 496 L | 5 | 309 | 3% larger, same door count, similar star rating |
| Panasonic NR-BW530J 4% larger, same door count, similar star rating | 498 L | 5 | 317 | 4% larger, same door count, similar star rating |
| Panasonic NR-BW530J 4% larger, same door count, similar star rating | 498 L | 5 | 317 | 4% larger, same door count, similar star rating |
| Ilve R76FDAU/SS 4% larger, same door count, similar star rating | 499 L | 4 | 380 | 4% larger, same door count, similar star rating |
Same consumer type, total capacity within 12% of 481 L; ordered by closeness of capacity, then lowest annual kWh.
Compare FA490RBL5AU with another fridge
Smeg FA490RBL5AU specifications
- Type
- Bottom-mount fridge freezer
- Configuration
- Upright
- Doors
- 2
- Defrost
- Variable defrost controller
- Ice maker
- –
- Width
- –
- Height
- –
- Depth
- –
- Annual energy (label)
- 328 kWh
- Star rating index
- 4.646
- MEPS level (maximum allowed)
- 550 kWh
- kWh per adjusted litre
- 0.557
- Country of manufacture
- Italy
Other model numbers on registration ARF2688
Registered together with the same test results, usually colour or finish variants.
New Zealand E3 registration details
- Registration number
- ARF2688
- GEMS registration id
- 141770
- Status
- approved, available (self-reported)
- Registration expires
- 5 October 2026
- Registered for sale in
- Australia, Fiji, New Zealand
- Family
- FA490***5AU
- Designation
- Refrigerator/freezer
- Product class
- Class 6
- GEMS group
- Group 5B: refrigerator-freezer, automatic defrost, bottom-mounted freezer
- Regulatory standard
- Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (Household Refrigerating Appliances) Determination 2019
- Test standard
- AS/NZS IEC 62552.3:2018
- Consumer type rule
- GEMS group 5B (frost-free fridge freezer, bottom-mounted freezer) with one or two doors
Source: E3 programme registration data (EECA, New Zealand) (trans-Tasman E3 registration data published by DCCEEW on data.gov.au, CC BY 3.0 AU). Dataset published 25 September 2026; last checked 26 September 2026. How the derived figures are calculated.