GE GDE21DMK****: running cost
The GE GDE21DMK**** 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.
Efficient, or not, for a refrigerator
The category average is 386 kWh/yr; this model runs 26.4% above it, ranking 3,463 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 GDE21DMK****: GE GDE21DGK**** ($92/yr, 488 kWh/yr), then GE GDE21DYR**** ($92/yr, 488 kWh/yr).
Comparing GE's own models
Ranked 73 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 GDE21DMK**** over 13 years
13 years is NAHB's typical service life for this category; at $92/year, the GE GDE21DMK**** adds up to about $1,193 in electricity over that span.
Weighing a replacement
Running above the category average, $92/year is exactly the kind of number that makes a newer, more efficient model pay for itself faster.
Compare current ENERGY STAR certified refrigerators before buying.
If you're keeping it
The GE GDE21DMK**** already costs $92/year to run; a repair bill on top of that is the kind of expense a protection plan exists to smooth out.
Where this number comes from
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. The 488 kWh/yr figure is ENERGY STAR's own certification, not a wattage estimate; exact dataset IDs are on the data sources page.