Running cost for the Frigidaire EFR179-BLUE
The Frigidaire EFR179-BLUE is certified by ENERGY STAR at 200 kWh a year, one of the cheaper models in its category to run among refrigerators currently certified.
That $38 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 48.2% less, ranking 283 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 $35/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 Frigidaire EFR179-BLUE: Frigidaire EFR115-GREEN_AMZ ($38/yr, 200 kWh/yr), then Frigidaire EFR179-PINK ($38/yr, 200 kWh/yr).
Same brand, different models
Ranked 33 of Frigidaire's 311 certified refrigerators, this sits between the FRWE4626AS ($28/yr, the brand's cheapest) and the FRFS2813B* ($137/yr, its priciest).
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 Frigidaire EFR179-BLUE that long and it costs about $489 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Shopping for a new one
Efficient as certified refrigerators go, $38/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
$38/year to run is the predictable cost of the Frigidaire EFR179-BLUE; a protection plan covers the unpredictable one, a repair bill.
Where this number comes from
Two sourced numbers, nothing modeled: ENERGY STAR's certified kWh/yr for this exact model, and EIA's published state electricity rate. At rank 283 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.