Running cost for the Whirlpool WH43S1E
The Whirlpool WH43S1E is certified by ENERGY STAR at 228 kWh a year, one of the cheaper models in its category to run among refrigerators currently certified.
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 923 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 Whirlpool WH43S1E: Whirlpool WH43**E ($43/yr, 228 kWh/yr), then Whirlpool WH43S2QE ($43/yr, 228 kWh/yr).
Comparing Whirlpool's own models
Ranked 9 of Whirlpool's 156 certified refrigerators, this sits between the AMA27S1E ($40/yr, the brand's cheapest) and the WRF995FIF*** ($142/yr, its priciest).
Cost over its typical lifespan
NAHB's Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components puts a typical refrigerator's service life at 13 years; run the Whirlpool WH43S1E that long and it costs about $557 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Shopping for a new one
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
A refrigerator like the Whirlpool WH43S1E 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
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. The 228 kWh/yr figure is ENERGY STAR's own certification, not a wattage estimate; exact dataset IDs are on the data sources page.