Whirlpool WRFF3236R*: running cost
ENERGY STAR certifies the Whirlpool WRFF3236R* at 615 kWh/yr, one of the more expensive models in its category to run for its category.
That $116 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 59.3% above it, ranking 4,157 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 $43/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 WRFF3236R*: Whirlpool WRFF3036R* ($116/yr, 615 kWh/yr), then Samsung RF23BB8900** ($116/yr, 618 kWh/yr).
Same brand, different models
Ranked 103 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 WRFF3236R* that long and it costs about $1,503 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Shopping for a new one
The Whirlpool WRFF3236R* 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.
See what else is certified in this category before you decide.
If you're keeping it
A refrigerator like the Whirlpool WRFF3236R* 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
Ranked 4,157 of 4,704, the Whirlpool WRFF3236R* 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. The 615 kWh/yr figure is ENERGY STAR's own certification, not a wattage estimate; exact dataset IDs are on the data sources page.