Kenmore 6231# Running Cost (Refrigerator)
What the Kenmore 6231# costs to run
ENERGY STAR certifies the Kenmore 6231# at 365 kWh/yr, about average for its category to run for its category.
That $69 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 5.4% less, ranking 2,622 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 $4/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 Kenmore 6231#: GE GTE18NSW ($69/yr, 365 kWh/yr), then Kenmore 899.6231#32# ($69/yr, 365 kWh/yr).
Comparing Kenmore's own models
Ranked 38 of Kenmore's 93 certified refrigerators, this sits between the 17764 ($39/yr, the brand's cheapest) and the 46-75625 ($140/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 Kenmore 6231# that long and it costs about $892 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Is it worth replacing?
Efficient as certified refrigerators go, $69/year is a reasonable baseline if you're comparing what else is on the market.
Worth comparing a few current certified models before deciding.
If you're keeping it
A refrigerator like the Kenmore 6231# is a real household expense whether or not it needs replacing yet; a protection plan is one way to budget for a repair rather than a full replacement.
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 365 kWh/yr figure is ENERGY STAR's own certification, not a wattage estimate; exact dataset IDs are on the data sources page.