Case Study: Second refrigerator operating cost

Case Study: Second refrigerator operating cost $110 per year

Modern convenience has a price. Here is one example of how keeping a second refrigerator in the garage will cost a homeowner in Huntsville, Alabama approximately $110 per year to keep soft drinks cold.

The Energy Guide label for her new refrigerator says it will use about 481 kilowatt hours of energy every year with annual operating cost of about $44 dollars in Huntsville, Alabama.

The old Amana it replaced uses 1205 kilowatt hours with annual operating cost of $110 per year, almost three time as much. Great. Over the next ten years, the total savings at current electric rates from Huntsville Utilities will be $660 dollars!

However, instead of recycling that old Amana refrigerator, she decided to keep in in her garage to keep soda cold. So over the next ten years, she will spend $1500 to operate both refrigerators instead of $440 to operate only the new energy efficient model.

Stanford University has a handy appliance calculator to help assess operating costs of your existing appliances at http://appliancecalculator.stanford.edu/