ELEMENT ERT18CSEW: running cost
ENERGY STAR certifies the ELEMENT ERT18CSEW at 369 kWh/yr, about average for its category to run for its category.
The $69 figure above uses the simple average of all 51 published state rates. Pick your state for the real number.
Where this ranks
That's 4.4% below the refrigerator category average of 386 kWh/yr, and ranks 2,685 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 $3/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 ELEMENT ERT18CSES ($69/yr, 369 kWh/yr), and one step pricier is Elisii DERTM181*W3 ($69/yr, 369 kWh/yr).
Comparing ELEMENT's own models
ELEMENT makes 34 ENERGY STAR certified refrigerators; this one ranks 26 of 34 for running cost, between the brand's cheapest, the EUF14CE** at $38/yr, and its priciest, the ERBM19CBS-CA at $103/yr.
What this adds up to over time
NAHB's Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components puts a typical refrigerator's service life at 13 years; run the ELEMENT ERT18CSEW that long and it costs about $902 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Weighing a replacement
The ELEMENT ERT18CSEW is already efficient for its category at $69/year. If you're shopping and comparing options, this is roughly what a well-chosen new refrigerator costs to run.
Compare current ENERGY STAR certified refrigerators before buying.
Protecting what you have
$69/year to run is the predictable cost of the ELEMENT ERT18CSEW; a protection plan covers the unpredictable one, a repair bill.
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. 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.