Whirlpool WRB543CMJ Running Cost (Refrigerator)
Running cost for the Whirlpool WRB543CMJ
ENERGY STAR certifies the Whirlpool WRB543CMJ at 494 kWh/yr, one of the more expensive models in its category to run for its category.
That $93 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 28% above it, ranking 3,480 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 $20/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 WRB543CMJ: Whirlpool WRB533CZJ ($93/yr, 494 kWh/yr), then Fisher & Paykel RF135BJ ($93/yr, 495 kWh/yr).
Comparing Whirlpool's own models
Ranked 73 of Whirlpool's 156 certified refrigerators, this sits between the AMA27S1E ($40/yr, the brand's cheapest) and the WRF995FIF ($142/yr, its priciest).
Whirlpool WRB543CMJ over 13 years
NAHB's Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components puts a typical refrigerator's service life at 13 years; run the Whirlpool WRB543CMJ that long and it costs about $1,207 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Shopping for a new one
At $93/year, this is on the expensive side for a refrigerator; the cheapest certified model in this category runs about $8/year, worth knowing before buying either the Whirlpool WRB543CMJ or its replacement.
Worth comparing a few current certified models before deciding.
If you're keeping it
Whether or not the Whirlpool WRB543CMJ ever needs replacing, a repair is the more common failure for a refrigerator, one a protection plan budgets for ahead of time.
Where this number comes from
Nothing here is estimated from a nameplate wattage; the 494 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.