Frestec FR 742 BX: running cost
The Frestec FR 742 BX is certified by ENERGY STAR at 336 kWh a year, cheaper than most models in its category to run among refrigerators currently certified.
That $63 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 13% less, ranking 2,263 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 $9/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 Frestec FR 742 BX: Amana ARTX2314T*** ($63/yr, 336 kWh/yr), then Ikea IRT134FD*0* ($63/yr, 336 kWh/yr).
Comparing Frestec's own models
Ranked 14 of Frestec's 19 certified refrigerators, this sits between the FTC16RE ($38/yr, the brand's cheapest) and the FDBM 1802 SL ($86/yr, its priciest).
Frestec FR 742 BX over 13 years
NAHB's Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components puts a typical refrigerator's service life at 13 years; run the Frestec FR 742 BX that long and it costs about $821 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Shopping for a new one
Efficient as certified refrigerators go, $63/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 Frestec FR 742 BX 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
At rank 2,263 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 336 kWh/yr figure is ENERGY STAR's own certification, not a wattage estimate; exact dataset IDs are on the data sources page.