Running cost for the GE GBE21AYR****
The GE GBE21AYR**** is certified by ENERGY STAR at 488 kWh a year, one of the more expensive models in its category to run among refrigerators currently certified.
That $92 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.
How the GE GBE21AYR**** compares to other refrigerators
The category average is 386 kWh/yr; this model runs 26.4% above it, ranking 3,459 of 4,704 refrigerators tracked here for running cost. 4,704 certified refrigerators, one average, about $19/year of daylight between it and this model; the full methodology has the rest.
Neighbouring models
Right next to the GE GBE21AYR**** on that list: GE GBE21AGK**** ($92/yr, 488 kWh/yr) runs slightly less, while GE GBE21DGK**** ($92/yr, 488 kWh/yr) runs slightly more.
Same brand, different models
Ranked 69 of GE's 131 certified refrigerators, this sits between the GME04GGK**** ($43/yr, the brand's cheapest) and the GFE28GYN**** ($136/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 GE GBE21AYR**** that long and it costs about $1,193 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Shopping for a new one
The GE GBE21AYR**** runs above its category average. If the refrigerator you actually own is older still, likely well past ENERGY STAR's efficiency baseline when it was made, a current certified model could cost meaningfully less than this model's $92/year every year.
Worth comparing a few current certified models before deciding.
If you're keeping it
Whether or not the GE GBE21AYR**** ever needs replacing, a repair is the more common failure for a refrigerator, one a protection plan budgets for ahead of time.
How this was checked
Two sourced numbers, nothing modeled: ENERGY STAR's certified kWh/yr for this exact model, and EIA's published state electricity rate. The full Refrigerator category page shows all 4,704 refrigerators ranked by cost; the state-rate guide covers the half of this number that isn't the appliance.