Whirlpool WRB329*FB*: running cost
At 553 kWh/yr, the Whirlpool WRB329*FB*'s ENERGY STAR certification puts it one of the more expensive models in its category to run against every other certified refrigerator.
That $104 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
The category average is 386 kWh/yr; this model runs 43.3% above it, ranking 3,794 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 $31/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 WRB329*FB*: Whirlpool WRB119WFB* ($104/yr, 553 kWh/yr), then Whirlpool WRB329DMB* ($104/yr, 553 kWh/yr).
Same brand, different models
Ranked 77 of Whirlpool's 156 certified refrigerators, this sits between the AMA27S1E ($40/yr, the brand's cheapest) and the WRF995FIF*** ($142/yr, its priciest).
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 WRB329*FB* that long and it costs about $1,352 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Shopping for a new one
Running above the category average, $104/year is exactly the kind of number that makes a newer, more efficient model pay for itself faster.
Compare current ENERGY STAR certified refrigerators before buying.
If you're keeping it
At $104/year just to run, a refrigerator is worth protecting against an unplanned repair bill on top of that.
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 553 kWh/yr figure is ENERGY STAR's own certification, not a wattage estimate; exact dataset IDs are on the data sources page.