Running cost for the TCL TRM044S4AW
ENERGY STAR certifies the TCL TRM044S4AW at 228 kWh/yr, one of the cheaper models in its category to run for its category.
That $43 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 40.9% less, ranking 913 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 $30/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 TCL TRM044S4AW: TCL MR421S ($43/yr, 228 kWh/yr), then upstreman BR44 ($43/yr, 228 kWh/yr).
Within the TCL lineup
Ranked 8 of TCL's 24 certified refrigerators, this sits between the MR121S ($39/yr, the brand's cheapest) and the TRF20S5AL-S1 ($87/yr, its priciest).
What this adds up to over time
Over the 13-year service life NAHB reports for this category, running the TCL TRM044S4AW costs roughly $557 in electricity, separate from the purchase price.
Is it worth replacing?
Efficient as certified refrigerators go, $43/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
The TCL TRM044S4AW already costs $43/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
Nothing here is estimated from a nameplate wattage; the 228 kWh/yr is ENERGY STAR's own certified figure for this model. Ranked 913 of 4,704, the TCL TRM044S4AW 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.