ELEMENT ERT74MES: running cost
At 345 kWh/yr, the ELEMENT ERT74MES's ENERGY STAR certification puts it cheaper than most models in its category to run against every other certified refrigerator.
That $65 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
Against the category average of 386 kWh/yr, this model uses 10.6% less, ranking 2,339 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 $8/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 ERT74MES: ELEMENT ERT74MEB ($65/yr, 345 kWh/yr), then ELEMENT ERT74MEW ($65/yr, 345 kWh/yr).
Comparing ELEMENT's own models
Ranked 14 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).
What this adds up to over time
13 years is NAHB's typical service life for this category; at $65/year, the ELEMENT ERT74MES adds up to about $843 in electricity over that span.
Shopping for a new one
Efficient as certified refrigerators go, $65/year is a reasonable baseline if you're comparing what else is on the market.
Compare current ENERGY STAR certified refrigerators before buying.
If you're keeping it
Whether or not the ELEMENT ERT74MES ever needs replacing, a repair is the more common failure for a refrigerator, one a protection plan budgets for ahead of time.
Where this number comes from
Nothing here is estimated from a nameplate wattage; the 345 kWh/yr is ENERGY STAR's own certified figure for this model. Ranked 2,339 of 4,704, the ELEMENT ERT74MES 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.