Model
Element ERBM19***
Rank #716 means 715 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 75th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 75% of those models.
What does the Element ERBM19*** cost to run per year?
At roughly $86 a year to run, ranking #716 of 1,000, the Element ERBM19*** costs more than the typical refrigerator model we track. It uses 10% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $97/yr to run, a saving of roughly $11 a year. Size-adjusted, this model beats 75% of refrigerator models we track on efficiency, better than most of its class. This class has no published efficiency-factor figure beyond annual kWh itself, so at 18.7 cu ft (the class spans 1.2 to 31.7), size is the clearest lever we can point to for this model's running cost.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Criterion CBMR187M4* at $86/yr runs a little cheaper and the Eurodesign RDBM191** at $86/yr runs a little more, a sense of how tightly models are packed at this point in the ranking. A refrigerator typically stays in service for somewhere around 12 years; over that span, the Element ERBM19***'s $86/yr adds up to roughly $1032 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Criterion CBMR187M4*.
By the numbers
The Element ERBM19*** normalized against its whole class, so each figure means something.
What it costs you over time
Running cost is an every-year number, so it compounds. At $86/yr, here is what the Element ERBM19*** adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Element ERBM19*** costs about $860. That is roughly $110 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $970 over the same ten years.
How the Element ERBM19*** compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $86/yr, it runs about $22 a year above the class median of $64, and it is about $78 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $97/yr, the Element ERBM19*** uses 10% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 18.7 cu ft, the Element ERBM19*** is a large refrigerator for its class, which spans 1.2 to 31.7 cu ft with a median of 12.6 cu ft, size is usually the single biggest lever behind a running-cost figure, and at this end of the range there is more capacity to service, which tends to push the number up.
- Interior volume. More cubic feet of cold air to maintain generally means a bigger compressor and a higher running-cost figure, even among efficient models.
- Counter depth vs standard depth. Standard-depth models generally offer more interior volume per unit of width than counter-depth models, a tradeoff between built-in looks and cubic feet.
- Compressor technology. How a compressor cycles, full on/off versus a variable-speed inverter design, is one of the biggest hidden differences behind two fridges with similar cubic feet but different running costs.
- Placement and ventilation. Ventilation clearance around the back and top matters more than most owners expect; a fridge starved of airflow runs its compressor longer to hold the same temperature.
Common questions
Is the Element ERBM19*** cheap to run?
Its $86/yr running cost, rank #716 of 1,000, is above what most refrigerator models we track cost to run, so this is not one of the cheaper picks on electricity alone.
How much does the Element ERBM19*** cost per month?
About $7.21 a month, which is the $86 annual estimate spread across twelve months at the US average rate of $0.1856/kWh. Your own bill scales with your local electricity rate and how heavily you use it.
How is this running-cost figure calculated?
The formula is annual kWh times price per kWh: 466 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $86 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Element ERBM19*** for its size?
75th percentile once size is factored in. That means its size-adjusted efficiency is a real factor in the running-cost figure above; its capacity plays a large role too.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 716 | Criterion CBMR187M4*18.7 cu ft | $86 |
| 715 | Appliance Basics HD676REWNSS18.7 cu ft | $86 |
| 714 | Vissani MDFD18SS518.4 cu ft | $86 |
| 713 | Omnimax 3750-07718.4 cu ft | $86 |
| 712 | Midea MRF18B4***18.4 cu ft | $86 |
Source
ES_1145034_ERBM19***_111120240258425_6479245View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Element and ERBM19*** are used here for identification only and are not endorsements. Figures are computed by WattWise Labs from public ENERGY STAR data, not measured in our own lab.