How we calculate
Bottom line
Annual cost = rated annual kWh × 18.19¢ per kWh, rounded to whole dollars. The kWh figure is each model's rated value from the ENERGY STAR certified product list; the price is the U.S. average residential electricity price from the EIA.
Sources
- Energy use: U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR certified product lists, data.energystar.gov, retrieved 2026-10-30.
- Refrigerators (dataset p5st-her9): 4,893 listings, 2,934 used. Full-size refrigerators only (compact models, beverage coolers and stand-alone freezers are left out).
- Room air conditioners (dataset 5xn2-dv4h): 590 listings, 590 used. Window and through-the-wall models.
- Clothes dryers (dataset t9u7-4d2j): 693 listings, 489 used. Electric models only. Gas dryers are left out of all costs: their kWh figure is gas energy converted to kWh, not electricity.
- Clothes washers (dataset bghd-e2wd): 418 listings, 418 used. Residential models.
- Dehumidifiers (dataset mgiu-hu4z): 571 listings, 571 used. Portable and whole-home models.
- TVs (dataset pd96-rr3d): 175 listings, 175 used. ENERGY STAR certified TVs (a smaller list than the other categories).
- Electricity price: U.S. EIA, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.B — EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.B, residential, January-August 2026 year-to-date (released 2026-10-23): 18.19¢/kWh.
- State prices: same table, Source: https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.php?t=epmt_5_6_b | period: YTD through August 2026 | retrieved 2026-10-31.
Steps
- Download every certified model in each category from data.energystar.gov.
- Keep the models in scope (for example full-size refrigerators, electric dryers) and group them by type and size.
- For each group, take the median and the 10th and 90th percentiles of rated annual kWh.
- Multiply by 0.1819 dollars per kWh and round to whole dollars.
- For the model tables, sort each group by rated kWh and list the lowest; a brand/model number listed twice is shown once.
The rule of thumb
Annual kWh ÷ 5.5 ≈ dollars per year
At the US average price of 18.19¢ per kWh, every 5.5 kWh costs about $1 (1 ÷ 0.1819 = 5.50). A refrigerator rated at 550 kWh a year costs about $100 a year to run.
Limits
- Rated kWh comes from federal test procedures with fixed assumptions (cycles, hours, settings). Your use will differ.
- Gas dryers are excluded from all costs: their kWh figure converts gas energy to kWh.
- Washer figures leave out water and sewer costs.
- The EIA figure is an average price including fixed charges; your bill's price per kWh, tiers and time-of-use rates may differ.
- Only ENERGY STAR certified models are in the data. Non-certified models usually use more.
- Store prices are not shown, and no model is recommended.