Running cost for the Whirlpool WRFA35SWH*
ENERGY STAR certifies the Whirlpool WRFA35SWH* at 615 kWh/yr, one of the more expensive models in its category to run for its category.
The $116 figure above uses the simple average of all 51 published state rates. Pick your state for the real number.
Whirlpool WRFA35SWH* against the category
That's 59.3% above the refrigerator category average of 386 kWh/yr, and ranks 4,155 of 4,704 certified refrigerators for annual running cost, 1 being cheapest. The category average comes from every refrigerator ENERGY STAR currently certifies (4,704 models), not an outside benchmark, about $43/year above that average at the national rate. See the methodology page.
What sits beside it in the ranking
Whirlpool WRFF3036R* ($116/yr, 615 kWh/yr) costs a little more to run than the Whirlpool WRFA35SWH*. Whirlpool WRF535SWH* ($116/yr, 615 kWh/yr) costs a little less.
Within the Whirlpool lineup
Whirlpool makes 156 ENERGY STAR certified refrigerators; this one ranks 101 of 156 for running cost, between the brand's cheapest, the AMA27S1E at $40/yr, and its priciest, the WRF995FIF*** at $142/yr.
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 WRFA35SWH* that long and it costs about $1,503 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Weighing a replacement
The Whirlpool WRFA35SWH* runs above its category average. If the refrigerator you actually own is older still, likely well past ENERGY STAR's efficiency baseline when it was made, a current certified model could cost meaningfully less than this model's $116/year every year.
Compare current ENERGY STAR certified refrigerators before buying.
Protecting what you have
The Whirlpool WRFA35SWH* already costs $116/year to run; a repair bill on top of that is the kind of expense a protection plan exists to smooth out.
Sourcing
Nothing here is estimated from a nameplate wattage; the 615 kWh/yr is ENERGY STAR's own certified figure for this model. Ranked 4,155 of 4,704, the Whirlpool WRFA35SWH* 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.