GE GBE21DGK Running Cost (Refrigerator)
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.