What the U-Line U-29RB-00A costs to run
ENERGY STAR certifies the U-Line U-29RB-00A at 260 kWh/yr, one of the cheaper models in its category to run for its category.
That $49 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 32.6% less, ranking 1,326 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 $24/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 U-29RB-00A: U-Line 518S ($49/yr, 260 kWh/yr), then upstreman FR35 ($49/yr, 260 kWh/yr).
Comparing U-Line's own models
Ranked 28 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 U-29RB-00A 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 U-29RB-00A that long and it costs about $635 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Weighing a replacement
Efficient as certified refrigerators go, $49/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
A refrigerator like the U-Line U-29RB-00A is a real household expense whether or not it needs replacing yet; a protection plan is one way to budget for a repair rather than a full replacement.
Where this number comes from
Nothing here is estimated from a nameplate wattage; the 260 kWh/yr is ENERGY STAR's own certified figure for this model. The full Refrigerator category page shows all 4,704 refrigerators ranked by cost; the state-rate guide covers the half of this number that isn't the appliance.