Whirlpool WRTX6418TW: running cost
ENERGY STAR certifies the Whirlpool WRTX6418TW at 360 kWh/yr, about average for its category to run for its category.
That $68 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
Against the category average of 386 kWh/yr, this model uses 6.7% less, ranking 2,520 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 $5/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 WRTX6418TW: Whirlpool WRTX6418TB ($68/yr, 360 kWh/yr), then Whirlpool WRTX6418TZ ($68/yr, 360 kWh/yr).
Within the Whirlpool lineup
Ranked 37 of Whirlpool's 156 certified refrigerators, this sits between the AMA27S1E ($40/yr, the brand's cheapest) and the WRF995FIF*** ($142/yr, its priciest).
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 WRTX6418TW that long and it costs about $880 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Weighing a replacement
Efficient as certified refrigerators go, $68/year is a reasonable baseline if you're comparing what else is on the market.
Worth comparing a few current certified models before deciding.
If you're keeping it
At $68/year just to run, a refrigerator is worth protecting against an unplanned repair bill on top of that.
Where this number comes from
Ranked 2,520 of 4,704, the Whirlpool WRTX6418TW 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 360 kWh/yr figure is ENERGY STAR's own certification, not a wattage estimate; exact dataset IDs are on the data sources page.