Types of refrigerators are sorted by where the freezer sits: on top, underneath, down one side, or nowhere at all. For the lowest running cost, I find a top-freezer fridge hard to beat; the one in my comparison is rated at 366 kWh a year. For the easiest reach, a French door or bottom-freezer model puts fresh food at eye level.
A refrigerator's type means how its fresh-food and freezer compartments are arranged behind its doors. That layout sets the price, how often you bend down, and a good part of the power bill. Every other type is a trade between cheap running and easy reach.
At Merit Home Furniture, our Campbell River and Port Alberni stores carry 127 refrigerators on our listings, and the rest of the range comes in as special orders. I work in Duncan, where we've stepped back from appliances, so I point Islanders to those two stores for fridges and household appliances.
What are the different types of refrigerators?
The different types of refrigerators on Merit's listings sort into seven groups. The table counts the models carried at Campbell River or Port Alberni and gives their price spread before applicable taxes, as listed on November 1, 2026.
| Type | Where the freezer is | Carried at our two stores |
|---|---|---|
| Top-freezer fridges | A short door above the fridge | 28 models, $539.99 to $3,399.00 |
| Bottom-freezer fridges | A drawer or door below one full-width fridge door | 21 freestanding models, $864.99 to $2,199.99 |
| Side-by-side fridges | A full-height column on the left | 6 models, $1,449.99 to $1,899.99 |
| French door fridges | A drawer, or two, under two half-width doors | 45 models, $1,299.00 to $5,549.00 |
| Counter-depth fridges | Any of the above, built shallower | 27 models, $1,099.99 to $5,549.00 |
| All-fridge and convertible models | None, or a section that switches | 15 models, $249.99 to $3,699.00 |
| Compact fridges | A small inner box, or none | 12 models, $249.99 to $2,199.00 |
Counter-depth is a cabinet style rather than a door layout, so its models also sit in the other rows. The $2,199.00 compact is an off-grid propane unit, covered further down.
Top-freezer and bottom-freezer refrigerators
A top-freezer refrigerator is the plain two-door fridge, with the freezer at eye level and fresh food below. It's usually the cheapest fridge-freezer to buy and to run. The Frigidaire FFHT1814YW is $779.00 at both stores, and its listing calls it ENERGY STAR Most Efficient.
The cost is in your back. Crisper drawers sit near the floor, and the freezer shelf is narrow and deep. For a cabin, a rental suite or a second fridge, those trade-offs rarely matter.
A bottom-freezer refrigerator flips that. Fresh food sits at eye level behind one wide door, and frozen food goes in a pull-out drawer. The Whirlpool WRB329LFBM, $2,049.99 at Campbell River, uses 469 kWh a year against the Frigidaire's 366. One wide door also needs more swing room in front of it than a French door does.
Side-by-side refrigerators and the cost of an ice dispenser
A side-by-side refrigerator splits the cabinet top to bottom, freezer on the left and fresh food on the right. Both doors are narrow, which suits a galley kitchen or an island that crowds the fridge. The narrow shelves are the catch: a pizza box or a sheet cake often won't lie flat.
Two Whirlpool side-by-sides carried at both Merit stores show what ice and water in the door add. The WRS312SNHB has no ice maker and is listed at $1,749.99 to $1,799.99 by finish. The WRS321SDHZ puts ice and water in the door for $1,899.99. Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) rates the first at 528 kWh a year and the second at 659, about a quarter more.
Ice in the door needs a chute through the insulation, plus another set of parts that can fail. If ice matters to you, a model with the ice maker inside the freezer skips the chute and the dispenser parts.
Types of ice makers in refrigerators
The usual ice maker drops plain cubes into a freezer bin, and dispenser models add crushed ice. A few makers sell their own shapes. Samsung's listing for its 33-inch French door with a beverage centre offers cubes or "Ice Bites". LG's Craft Ice side-by-side and Whirlpool's nugget-ice counter-depth models are special orders on our listings, at $1,899.99 and from $3,999.99.
French door refrigerators with three doors or four
A French door refrigerator has two half-width doors over a freezer drawer. The doors swing in half the space of one wide door, and the full-width shelf behind them takes a platter. It's also the biggest group on our listings.
Three doors is the usual build. The LG LRFNS2200, at Port Alberni for $1,699.99 to $1,899.99 by finish, is rated at 503 kWh with no ice maker. A four-door model adds a second drawer between the doors and the freezer. On the LG LF19C8200S, $1,999.99 at Port Alberni, that comes with an ice maker and 590 kWh a year.
A door-in-door fridge puts a smaller second door into the right-hand door, so the door bins open without the whole cabinet. The idea is less cold air lost on a quick grab for milk. Counter-depth is the other common variation: a shallower cabinet that sits closer to flush with the cupboards, giving up some inside space.
What are high-end refrigerators?
High-end usually means built-in or column fridges. A built-in refrigerator sits flush inside the cabinetry; our listings have the Bosch Benchmark built-in bottom freezer at $11,999.00 through Campbell River. A column fridge is a tall all-fridge unit set beside a matching freezer column. The Bosch Benchmark panel-ready column is a special order at $9,499.00, and LG's freestanding 24-inch column is $1,099.99 at both stores, rated at 238 kWh a year.
Which type of refrigerator uses the least energy?
The fridge with no freezer uses the least energy, and among the fridge-freezers on Merit's listings the top freezer wins. That's going by the annual kWh in Natural Resources Canada's searchable product list, which carries each model's EnerGuide rating. The seven fridge-freezers below are close in capacity, so layout and extras explain most of the gap.
| Type and model on our listings | kWh a year | Cost a year in BC |
|---|---|---|
| Convertible, set as a fridge: Marathon MFF212BLS | 314 | $37 to $44 |
| Top freezer: Frigidaire FFHT1814YW | 366 | $43 to $52 |
| Bottom freezer: Whirlpool WRB329LFBM | 469 | $56 to $66 |
| French door, 3 doors: LG LRFNS2200 | 503 | $60 to $71 |
| Side-by-side, no dispenser: Whirlpool WRS312SNHB | 528 | $63 to $74 |
| Counter-depth French door, ice maker: Frigidaire FRFG2033AV | 560 | $66 to $79 |
| French door, 4 doors, ice maker: LG LF19C8200S | 590 | $70 to $83 |
| Side-by-side, ice and water in the door: Whirlpool WRS321SDHZ | 659 | $78 to $93 |
Costs use BC Hydro's residential rates of 11.87 cents per kWh at Tier 1 and 14.08 cents at Tier 2. The side-by-side with a dispenser uses 1.8 times the top freezer's power, roughly $35 a year more at the lower rate.
NRCan says an ENERGY STAR top-freezer fridge "uses less energy than a 60-watt light bulb". A 60-watt bulb left on all year uses about 526 kWh, so the Frigidaire clears that easily. NRCan also puts ENERGY STAR fridges at 9% less energy than standard models, on average.
Compact, bar and off-grid refrigerators
A compact refrigerator is a counter-high box for a dorm, an office or a basement bar. The Danby Diplomat compact, $279.99 at both stores, is rated at 228 kWh a year. That's within about 140 kWh of the full-size top freezer, so a small fridge isn't automatically a frugal one.
A bar fridge or beverage centre runs colder than a wine cooler and holds cans on glass shelves. Merit's guide to wine cooler versus bar fridge temperatures has the numbers, and the Silhouette range at our two stores lists each model.
For a cabin off the grid or an RV, the Unique off-grid propane fridge at Port Alberni runs on propane, 110 V or 12 V. Its listing gives roughly 0.7 lb of propane a day, and it's $2,199.00.
Convertible refrigerators, flex drawers and newer fridge technology
A convertible refrigerator lets one section switch between fridge and freezer at the controls. The Midea 50/50 Flex at Port Alberni, $1,149.99 to $1,249.99, has two compartments. Midea's Canadian page describes switching between "freezer, fridge-freezer, or full refrigerator modes".
The Marathon MFF212BLS goes further: a single upright cabinet that converts between fridge and freezer, for $1,399.00. On French door models the idea shrinks to one drawer. The LG LF29S8330S, $2,799.99 at Port Alberni, has a Full-Convert Drawer that LG gives 5 temperature settings, from fridge to freezer.
Two changes inside the cabinet matter more than the screens and apps. Inverter compressors vary their speed rather than cycling on and off, and LG's listing for the column fridge backs its compressor parts for 10 years. The refrigerant changed too. From January 1, 2025, Canada's halocarbon regulations limit HFC refrigerants in residential fridges to a global warming potential of 150. The Danby compact's listing names R600a, a hydrocarbon refrigerant.
Which type of refrigerator suits which household?
The right type of refrigerator depends on the room and the people using it more than on features. Here's how I'd match them:
- Tight budget or a second fridge. A top freezer: the lowest price and the lowest running cost.
- Bad knees or a bad back. A bottom freezer or French door, so the fresh food you reach for daily sits high.
- Narrow kitchen. A side-by-side or French door, since each door needs only half the swing.
- Big family or a lot of entertaining. A French door, for the wide shelf and the freezer drawer.
- Cabinets running flush. Counter-depth, or a built-in if the budget allows.
- Freezer use that changes with the seasons. A convertible, or a fridge with a flex drawer. A separate freezer is its own choice between chest and upright.
What are the top five refrigerators to buy?
I won't rank brands. Five models on Merit's listings make a fair shortlist, though, one per job. They're the Frigidaire top freezer, the Whirlpool bottom freezer and the LG three-door French door. The Whirlpool WRS312SNHB side-by-side and the Midea 50/50 Flex round it out, with prices and stores above.
Refrigerator types to stay away from, and when
No fridge type is a bad buy everywhere, but each one is wrong somewhere. A side-by-side is wrong for anyone who stores wide trays. A dispenser model is wrong if nobody uses the dispenser, since it adds power use and parts. A freestanding fridge pushed into a tight built-in gap can run warm, so check its installation guide for clearances.
The garage is the other trap. A fridge in an unheated Island garage needs a garage rating. The Frigidaire FFHT1814YW listing gives 38°F to 110°F (about 3°C to 43°C) for garage use, so a cold snap below that is outside its range.
Keeping the old fridge running as a second one costs more than it looks. NRCan says an old refrigerator uses about 35% more energy than an ENERGY STAR model, and it advises recycling the old one.
Which refrigerator has the least problems?
I can't point to repair data I trust for one type over another. Fewer moving parts does mean fewer things to fail, which favours a plain top or bottom freezer without a dispenser. Most of the fridges named here that show a warranty list one year from the maker. The Marathon and the Midea list two years of parts and labour, and the Bosch built-in lists two years on parts. The guide to how makers' warranties and ours work together covers the rest.
Where the refrigerator figures come from
- Natural Resources Canada, Searchable product list: refrigerators and refrigerator-freezers (annual energy consumption), checked November 2026.
- Natural Resources Canada, Refrigerators, checked November 2026.
- BC Hydro, Residential tiered rate, checked November 2026.
- Government of Canada, Ozone-depleting Substances and Halocarbon Alternatives Regulations (SOR/2016-137), Schedule 1.1, checked November 2026.
- Midea Canada, 50/50 Flex Convertible Refrigerator/Freezer, checked November 2026.
- Merit Home Furniture, refrigerator listings, prices, specifications and store availability, read November 1, 2026, checked November 2026.
Asking about a refrigerator at Campbell River or Port Alberni
Every fridge named here lists Campbell River, Port Alberni or both, apart from the special orders. From the Cowichan Valley, Port Alberni is the closer drive. A call first saves a trip, both to check what's set up and to talk through the type before you measure.
- The Campbell River store sits at 1300 A Homewood Rd.
- The Port Alberni store sits at 2935 Third Ave.
Listings with no store, such as the Bosch panel-ready column and the nugget-ice models, are special orders on (250) 746-5527. Appliance delivery from these stores hasn't been confirmed for this guide, so ask when you call.
Call Port Alberni, (250) 724-6644, or call Campbell River, (250) 286-0868
Freezers have their own chest freezer and upright freezer listings, and Merit's appliance guide page collects the rest of our writing on kitchens and laundry.