What the Whirlpool KRFC236S**** costs to run
The Whirlpool KRFC236S**** is certified by ENERGY STAR at 603 kWh a year, one of the more expensive models in its category to run among refrigerators currently certified.
The $113 figure above uses the simple average of all 51 published state rates. Pick your state for the real number.
Where this ranks
That's 56.2% above the refrigerator category average of 386 kWh/yr, and ranks 4,094 of 4,704 certified refrigerators for annual running cost, 1 being cheapest. Every one of the 4,704 currently-certified refrigerators feeds that average, putting this model about $41/year over it. See how it's calculated on the how it is calculated page.
The closest alternatives by cost
Sorted by running cost among refrigerators, one step cheaper is Mora RQ230P7S*EM ($113/yr, 603 kWh/yr), and one step pricier is Whirlpool WRFC3036R*** ($113/yr, 603 kWh/yr).
Comparing Whirlpool's own models
Whirlpool makes 156 ENERGY STAR certified refrigerators; this one ranks 93 of 156 for running cost, between the brand's cheapest, the AMA27S1E at $40/yr, and its priciest, the WRF995FIF*** at $142/yr.
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 Whirlpool KRFC236S**** that long and it costs about $1,474 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Is it worth replacing?
Running above the category average, $113/year is exactly the kind of number that makes a newer, more efficient model pay for itself faster.
Worth comparing a few current certified models before deciding.
Protecting what you have
The Whirlpool KRFC236S**** already costs $113/year to run; a repair bill on top of that is the kind of expense a protection plan exists to smooth out.
The data behind this page
Two sourced numbers, nothing modeled: ENERGY STAR's certified kWh/yr for this exact model, and EIA's published state electricity rate. At rank 4,094 of 4,704 for running cost, see the refrigerator category page for the rest of the field, or the guide to how much your state matters.