ELEMENT ERBM19CBS-CA Running Cost (Refrigerator)
ELEMENT ERBM19CBS-CA: running cost
At 466 kWh/yr, the ELEMENT ERBM19CBS-CA's ENERGY STAR certification puts it more expensive than most models in its category to run against every other certified refrigerator.
That $88 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 20.7% above it, ranking 3,352 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 $15/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 ELEMENT ERBM19CBS-CA: ELEMENT ERBM19CB ($88/yr, 466 kWh/yr), then EuroDesign EDBM192SE ($88/yr, 466 kWh/yr).
Comparing ELEMENT's own models
Ranked 31 of ELEMENT's 34 certified refrigerators, this sits between the EUF14CE ($38/yr, the brand's cheapest) and the ERBM19CBS-CA ($103/yr, its priciest).
Cost over its typical lifespan
NAHB's Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components puts a typical refrigerator's service life at 13 years; run the ELEMENT ERBM19CBS-CA that long and it costs about $1,139 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Is it worth replacing?
At $88/year, this is on the expensive side for a refrigerator; the cheapest certified model in this category runs about $8/year, worth knowing before buying either the ELEMENT ERBM19CBS-CA or its replacement.
See what else is certified in this category before you decide.
If you're keeping it
The ELEMENT ERBM19CBS-CA already costs $88/year to run; a repair bill on top of that is the kind of expense a protection plan exists to smooth out.
Where this number comes from
Two sourced numbers, nothing modeled: ENERGY STAR's certified kWh/yr for this exact model, and EIA's published state electricity rate. The full Refrigerator category page shows all 4,704 refrigerators ranked by cost; the state-rate guide covers the half of this number that isn't the appliance.