U-Line 1215RB: running cost
At 225 kWh/yr, the U-Line 1215RB's ENERGY STAR certification puts it one of the cheaper models in its category to run against every other certified refrigerator.
That $42 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 41.7% less, ranking 802 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 U-Line 1215RB: Frigidaire EFRF7009-WHITE ($42/yr, 225 kWh/yr), then APPLIANCE BASICS CR44CABSDSS ($42/yr, 226 kWh/yr).
Within the U-Line lineup
Ranked 3 of U-Line's 37 certified refrigerators, this sits between the UR*D#24-*G#1A ($24/yr, the brand's cheapest) and the UHBV524-IS01A ($52/yr, its priciest).
U-Line 1215RB over 13 years
NAHB's Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components puts a typical refrigerator's service life at 13 years; run the U-Line 1215RB that long and it costs about $550 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Is it worth replacing?
Efficient as certified refrigerators go, $42/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
At $42/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 225 kWh/yr is ENERGY STAR's own certified figure for this model. Ranked 802 of 4,704, the U-Line 1215RB 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.