What the upstreman BR321-Red costs to run
The upstreman BR321-Red is certified by ENERGY STAR at 218 kWh a year, one of the cheaper models in its category to run among refrigerators currently certified.
That $41 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 43.5% less, ranking 665 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 $32/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 upstreman BR321-Red: upstreman BR321-Purple ($41/yr, 218 kWh/yr), then upstreman BR321-Vintage Blue ($41/yr, 218 kWh/yr).
Within the upstreman lineup
Ranked 34 of upstreman's 115 certified refrigerators, this sits between the FR17-Blue ($39/yr, the brand's cheapest) and the FD182-# ($86/yr, its priciest).
upstreman BR321-Red over 13 years
NAHB's Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components puts a typical refrigerator's service life at 13 years; run the upstreman BR321-Red that long and it costs about $533 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Is it worth replacing?
Efficient as certified refrigerators go, $41/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
A refrigerator like the upstreman BR321-Red 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 218 kWh/yr is ENERGY STAR's own certified figure for this model. Ranked 665 of 4,704, the upstreman BR321-Red 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.