ELEMENT ERT18CS Running Cost (Refrigerator)
Running cost for the ELEMENT ERT18CS
At 362 kWh/yr, the ELEMENT ERT18CS's ENERGY STAR certification puts it about average for its category to run against every other certified refrigerator.
The $68 figure above uses the simple average of all 51 published state rates. Pick your state for the real number.
Where this ranks
That's 6.2% below the refrigerator category average of 386 kWh/yr, and ranks 2,526 of 4,704 certified refrigerators for annual running cost, 1 being cheapest. Every one of the 4,704 currently-certified refrigerators feeds that average, putting this model about $5/year under it. See how it's calculated on the how it is calculated page.
The closest alternatives by cost
Sorted by running cost among refrigerators, one step cheaper is Conservator GRMH183U ($68/yr, 362 kWh/yr), and one step pricier is ELLIPSE ERTM180WE ($68/yr, 362 kWh/yr).
Comparing ELEMENT's own models
ELEMENT makes 34 ENERGY STAR certified refrigerators; this one ranks 19 of 34 for running cost, between the brand's cheapest, the EUF14CE at $38/yr, and its priciest, the ERBM19CBS-CA at $103/yr.
ELEMENT ERT18CS over 13 years
NAHB's Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components puts a typical refrigerator's service life at 13 years; run the ELEMENT ERT18CS that long and it costs about $885 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Shopping for a new one
The ELEMENT ERT18CS is already efficient for its category at $68/year. If you're shopping and comparing options, this is roughly what a well-chosen new refrigerator costs to run.
Worth comparing a few current certified models before deciding.
Protecting what you have
The ELEMENT ERT18CS already costs $68/year to run; a repair bill on top of that is the kind of expense a protection plan exists to smooth out.
The data behind this page
Two sourced numbers, nothing modeled: ENERGY STAR's certified kWh/yr for this exact model, and EIA's published state electricity rate. Ranked 2,526 of 4,704, the ELEMENT ERT18CS 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.