ELEMENT ERT18CSEB: running cost
The ELEMENT ERT18CSEB is certified by ENERGY STAR at 369 kWh a year, about average for its category to run among refrigerators currently certified.
That $69 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.
How the ELEMENT ERT18CSEB compares to other refrigerators
Against the category average of 386 kWh/yr, this model uses 4.4% less, ranking 2,683 of 4,704 refrigerators tracked here for running cost. 4,704 certified refrigerators, one average, about $3/year of daylight between it and this model; the full methodology has the rest.
Neighbouring models
Right next to the ELEMENT ERT18CSEB on that list: ELEMENT ERT18CSE* ($69/yr, 369 kWh/yr) runs slightly less, while ELEMENT ERT18CSES ($69/yr, 369 kWh/yr) runs slightly more.
Same brand, different models
Ranked 24 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).
ELEMENT ERT18CSEB over 13 years
Over the 13-year service life NAHB reports for this category, running the ELEMENT ERT18CSEB costs roughly $902 in electricity, separate from the purchase price.
Weighing a replacement
Efficient as certified refrigerators go, $69/year is a reasonable baseline if you're comparing what else is on the market.
Worth comparing a few current certified models before deciding.
If you're keeping it
$69/year to run is the predictable cost of the ELEMENT ERT18CSEB; a protection plan covers the unpredictable one, a repair bill.
How this was checked
Two sourced numbers, nothing modeled: ENERGY STAR's certified kWh/yr for this exact model, and EIA's published state electricity rate. Ranked 2,683 of 4,704, the ELEMENT ERT18CSEB 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.