Running cost for the GE GBE21DGK****
At 488 kWh/yr, the GE GBE21DGK****'s ENERGY STAR certification puts it one of the more expensive models in its category to run against every other certified refrigerator.
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.
Efficient, or not, for a refrigerator
The category average is 386 kWh/yr; this model runs 26.4% above it, ranking 3,460 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 $19/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 GE GBE21DGK****: GE GBE21AYR**** ($92/yr, 488 kWh/yr), then GE GBE21DYK**** ($92/yr, 488 kWh/yr).
Comparing GE's own models
Ranked 70 of GE's 131 certified refrigerators, this sits between the GME04GGK**** ($43/yr, the brand's cheapest) and the GFE28GYN**** ($136/yr, its priciest).
GE GBE21DGK**** over 13 years
NAHB's Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components puts a typical refrigerator's service life at 13 years; run the GE GBE21DGK**** that long and it costs about $1,193 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Is it worth replacing?
Running above the category average, $92/year is exactly the kind of number that makes a newer, more efficient model pay for itself faster.
Worth comparing a few current certified models before deciding.
If you're keeping it
$92/year to run is the predictable cost of the GE GBE21DGK****; 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. Ranked 3,460 of 4,704, the GE GBE21DGK**** 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.