Running cost for the RCA RFR115-D-BLUE
The RCA RFR115-D-BLUE is certified by ENERGY STAR at 206 kWh a year, one of the cheaper models in its category to run among refrigerators currently certified.
That $39 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 46.6% less, ranking 369 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 $34/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 RCA RFR115-D-BLUE: RCA RFR115-C-BLACK ($39/yr, 206 kWh/yr), then RCA RFR160-D-PURPLE ($39/yr, 206 kWh/yr).
Within the RCA lineup
Ranked 26 of RCA's 46 certified refrigerators, this sits between the EFR180 ($30/yr, the brand's cheapest) and the RFR836-6COM ($60/yr, its priciest).
RCA RFR115-D-BLUE over 13 years
NAHB's Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components puts a typical refrigerator's service life at 13 years; run the RCA RFR115-D-BLUE that long and it costs about $503 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Is it worth replacing?
Efficient as certified refrigerators go, $39/year is a reasonable baseline if you're comparing what else is on the market.
Compare current ENERGY STAR certified refrigerators before buying.
If you're keeping it
Whether or not the RCA RFR115-D-BLUE ever needs replacing, a repair is the more common failure for a refrigerator, one a protection plan budgets for ahead of time.
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. At rank 369 of 4,704 for running cost, see the refrigerator category page for the rest of the field, or the guide to how much your state matters.