Running cost for the Samsung RT70F18LA**
At 446 kWh/yr, the Samsung RT70F18LA**'s ENERGY STAR certification puts it more expensive than most models in its category to run against every other certified refrigerator.
That $84 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 15.5% above it, ranking 3,158 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 $11/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 RT70F18LA**: Samsung RT18DG6700** ($84/yr, 446 kWh/yr), then Samsung RT70F18LR** ($84/yr, 446 kWh/yr).
Comparing Samsung's own models
Ranked 16 of Samsung's 101 certified refrigerators, this sits between the RT18DG6300** ($63/yr, the brand's cheapest) and the RF32CG5B30** ($148/yr, its priciest).
What this adds up to over time
NAHB's Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components puts a typical refrigerator's service life at 13 years; run the Samsung RT70F18LA** that long and it costs about $1,090 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Weighing a replacement
At $84/year, this is on the expensive side for a refrigerator; the cheapest certified model in this category runs about $8/year, worth knowing before buying either the Samsung RT70F18LA** or its replacement.
Worth comparing a few current certified models before deciding.
If you're keeping it
At $84/year just to run, a refrigerator is worth protecting against an unplanned repair bill on top of that.
Where this number comes from
Nothing here is estimated from a nameplate wattage; the 446 kWh/yr is ENERGY STAR's own certified figure for this model. Ranked 3,158 of 4,704, the Samsung RT70F18LA** 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.