Cost to run · California · 35.3¢/kWh residential average

How much does it cost to run a refrigerator in California?

$122/yr · median certified model

Electricity in California is genuinely expensive — 35.3¢/kWh, 87% above the national average — so the median certified refrigerator costs about $122 a year, and efficiency differences between models turn into real money.

California sits at rank 50 of 51 — near the very top of the cost table for a refrigerator. Model choice matters as much as geography: at California rates the most efficient certified model (Fisher & Paykel RS2435V2) costs $15 a year while the most power-hungry (Jenn-Air JS48PPDUDE) costs $284 — a spread of $269 every year. For reference, the national extremes are North Dakota (12.3¢/kWh) and Hawaii (46.6¢/kWh); the same median refrigerator would cost $43 and $161 a year there.