Model
Ge GNE21DYR****
Rank #737 means 736 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 80th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 80% of those models.
What does the Ge GNE21DYR**** cost to run per year?
At about $90 a year, the Ge GNE21DYR**** costs more to run than most refrigerator models we track, rank #737 of 1,000. It uses 10% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $100/yr to run, a saving of roughly $10 a year. Size-adjusted, this model beats 80% of refrigerator models we track on efficiency, one of the stronger results in its class. This class has no published efficiency-factor figure beyond annual kWh itself, so at 20.8 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 Verona VEFBF2411RISL at $89/yr runs a little cheaper and the Ge GDE21DGK**** at $91/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 Ge GNE21DYR****'s $90/yr adds up to roughly $1080 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
By the numbers
The Ge GNE21DYR**** 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 $90/yr, here is what the Ge GNE21DYR**** adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Ge GNE21DYR**** costs about $900. That is roughly $100 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $1000 over the same ten years.
How the Ge GNE21DYR**** compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $90/yr, it runs about $26 a year above the class median of $64, and it is about $82 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $100/yr, the Ge GNE21DYR**** uses 10% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 20.8 cu ft, the Ge GNE21DYR**** 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 Ge GNE21DYR**** cheap to run?
Its $90/yr running cost, rank #737 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 Ge GNE21DYR**** cost per month?
About $7.53 a month, which is the $90 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: 487 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $90 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Ge GNE21DYR**** for its size?
80th 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 736 | Verona VEFBF2411RISL11.5 cu ft | $89 |
| 735 | Equator RFI 1200 S11.5 cu ft | $89 |
| 734 | Mora RT210N3A*EM21.2 cu ft | $89 |
| 733 | Stovv F20HF01SW19.7 cu ft | $88 |
| 732 | Black Decker BR2010JIMW20.1 cu ft | $88 |
Source
ES_0092277_GNE21DYR****_03242022124724_80121408View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Ge and GNE21DYR**** 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.