Running cost for the Samsung RF28T5A01**
At 645 kWh/yr, the Samsung RF28T5A01**'s ENERGY STAR certification puts it one of the more expensive models in its category to run against every other certified refrigerator.
That $121 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 67.1% above it, ranking 4,266 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 $49/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 Samsung RF28T5A01**: Samsung RF28T5021** ($121/yr, 645 kWh/yr), then Whirlpool WRFF3136SB ($121/yr, 645 kWh/yr).
Within the Samsung lineup
Ranked 57 of Samsung's 101 certified refrigerators, this sits between the RT18DG6300** ($63/yr, the brand's cheapest) and the RF32CG5B30** ($148/yr, its priciest).
Samsung RF28T5A01** over 13 years
13 years is NAHB's typical service life for this category; at $121/year, the Samsung RF28T5A01** adds up to about $1,576 in electricity over that span.
Shopping for a new one
The Samsung RF28T5A01** runs above its category average. If the refrigerator you actually own is older still, likely well past ENERGY STAR's efficiency baseline when it was made, a current certified model could cost meaningfully less than this model's $121/year every year.
Compare current ENERGY STAR certified refrigerators before buying.
If you're keeping it
At $121/year just to run, a refrigerator is worth protecting against an unplanned repair bill on top of that.
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 4,266 of 4,704, the Samsung RF28T5A01** 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.