Whirlpool WRFC5236R Running Cost (Refrigerator)
What the Whirlpool WRFC5236R costs to run
ENERGY STAR certifies the Whirlpool WRFC5236R at 673 kWh/yr, one of the more expensive models in its category to run for its category.
The $127 figure above uses the simple average of all 51 published state rates. Pick your state for the real number.
Whirlpool WRFC5236R against the category
That's 74.4% above the refrigerator category average of 386 kWh/yr, and ranks 4,383 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 $54/year above that average at the national rate. See the methodology page.
What sits beside it in the ranking
Whirlpool WRFC7036R ($127/yr, 673 kWh/yr) costs a little more to run than the Whirlpool WRFC5236R. Whirlpool WRFC5036R ($127/yr, 673 kWh/yr) costs a little less.
Comparing Whirlpool's own models
Whirlpool makes 156 ENERGY STAR certified refrigerators; this one ranks 121 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
13 years is NAHB's typical service life for this category; at $127/year, the Whirlpool WRFC5236R adds up to about $1,645 in electricity over that span.
Is it worth replacing?
At $127/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 WRFC5236R or its replacement.
Compare current ENERGY STAR certified refrigerators before buying.
Protecting what you have
At $127/year just to run, a refrigerator is worth protecting against an unplanned repair bill on top of that.
Sourcing
At rank 4,383 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. The 673 kWh/yr figure is ENERGY STAR's own certification, not a wattage estimate; exact dataset IDs are on the data sources page.