ELLIPSE EFVC13W: running cost
The ELLIPSE EFVC13W is certified by ENERGY STAR at 260 kWh a year, one of the cheaper models in its category to run among refrigerators currently certified.
That $49 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 32.6% less, ranking 1,297 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 $24/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 ELLIPSE EFVC13W: ELLIPSE EFVC13S ($49/yr, 260 kWh/yr), then Hisense HRC033ABE ($49/yr, 260 kWh/yr).
Comparing ELLIPSE's own models
Ranked 4 of ELLIPSE's 12 certified refrigerators, this sits between the EFVC14W ($40/yr, the brand's cheapest) and the ERBM221SE ($110/yr, its priciest).
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 ELLIPSE EFVC13W that long and it costs about $635 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Weighing a replacement
Efficient as certified refrigerators go, $49/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
$49/year to run is the predictable cost of the ELLIPSE EFVC13W; a protection plan covers the unpredictable one, a repair bill.
Where this number comes from
At rank 1,297 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. The 260 kWh/yr figure is ENERGY STAR's own certification, not a wattage estimate; exact dataset IDs are on the data sources page.