DCS RS36(X) Running Cost (Refrigerator)
DCS RS36(X): running cost
The DCS RS36(X) is certified by ENERGY STAR at 561 kWh a year, one of the more expensive models in its category to run among refrigerators currently certified.
That $105 is priced at 18.8¢/kWh, the average of all 51 state rates this site tracks. Your own state's rate is one click away.
Efficient, or not, for a refrigerator
The category average is 386 kWh/yr; this model runs 45.3% above it, ranking 3,822 of 4,704 refrigerators tracked here for running cost. That average is drawn from all 4,704 refrigerators ENERGY STAR currently certifies, not an outside number, a $33/year gap from this model at the national rate. Full sourcing is in the sourcing notes.
Right next to it on the list
A rank or two either side of the DCS RS36(X): VITARA VSBS2001EW ($105/yr, 560 kWh/yr), then Fisher & Paykel RS36(X) ($105/yr, 561 kWh/yr).
Comparing DCS's own models
Of the 3 ENERGY STAR certified refrigerators DCS makes, the RS36(X) costs the most to run, $68/year more than DCS's cheapest, the RF24DE4.
DCS RS36(X) over 13 years
NAHB's Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components puts a typical refrigerator's service life at 13 years; run the DCS RS36(X) that long and it costs about $1,371 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Is it worth replacing?
The DCS RS36(X) runs above its category average. If the refrigerator you actually own is older still, likely well past ENERGY STAR's efficiency baseline when it was made, a current certified model could cost meaningfully less than this model's $105/year every year.
Worth comparing a few current certified models before deciding.
If you're keeping it
Whether or not the DCS RS36(X) ever needs replacing, a repair is the more common failure for a refrigerator, one a protection plan budgets for ahead of time.
Where this number comes from
Nothing here is estimated from a nameplate wattage; the 561 kWh/yr is ENERGY STAR's own certified figure for this model. Ranked 3,822 of 4,704, the DCS RS36(X) sits in the middle of the refrigerator category, see the guide to why your state changes this number for the other half of the math.