What the ELEMENT ERT21CS** costs to run
The ELEMENT ERT21CS** is certified by ENERGY STAR at 390 kWh a year, about average for its category to run among refrigerators currently certified.
The $73 figure above uses the simple average of all 51 published state rates. Pick your state for the real number.
Where this ranks
That's 1% above the refrigerator category average of 386 kWh/yr, and ranks 2,828 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 $1/year over 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 Crosley CRMH203A* ($73/yr, 390 kWh/yr), and one step pricier is HOUSE KOBO UR-BCD572WX-SQ-WZ ($73/yr, 390 kWh/yr).
Comparing ELEMENT's own models
ELEMENT makes 34 ENERGY STAR certified refrigerators; this one ranks 27 of 34 for running cost, between the brand's cheapest, the EUF14CE** at $38/yr, and its priciest, the ERBM19CBS-CA at $103/yr.
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 ERT21CS** that long and it costs about $953 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Is it worth replacing?
The ELEMENT ERT21CS** is already efficient for its category at $73/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
$73/year to run is the predictable cost of the ELEMENT ERT21CS**; 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. At rank 2,828 of 4,704 for running cost, see the refrigerator category page for the rest of the field, or the guide to how much your state matters.