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Life Cycle Cost Estimate for 1 ENERGY STAR Qualified Residential Refrigerator(s)

This energy savings calculator was developed by the U.S. EPA and U.S. DOE and is provided for estimating purposes only. energy savings may vary based on use and other factors. Actual

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Number of units Electricity Rate ($/kWh)
Choose the type of refrigerator

1 $ 0.109

ENERGY STAR Qualified Unit


Initial cost per unit (estimated retail price) 3 Refrigerator Fresh Volume (ft ) Refrigerator Freezer Volume (ft ) Refrigerator Total Volume (ft3)
3

Conventional Unit

$1,180 14.75 6.76 21.51

$1,150 14.75 6.76 21.51

Annual and Life Cycle Costs and Savings for 1 Residential Refrigerator(s)
1 ENERGY STAR Qualified Unit(s) Annual Operating Costs
Energy costs Energy consumption (kWh) 381 $41
*

1 Conventional Unit(s)
$52 476 $52

Savings with ENERGY STAR


$10 95 $10

$41

Total Life Cycle Costs*


Energy costs Energy consumption (kWh) Purchase Price for 1 unit(s) Total 4,567

$389 $1,180 $1,569

$486 5,708 $1,150 $1,636 1,142

$97 -$30 $67

Simple payback of initial additional cost (years)

2.9

* Annual costs exclude the initial purchase price. All costs, except initial cost, are discounted over the products' lifetime using a real discount rate of A simple payback period of zero years means that the payback is immediate.

Summary of Benefits for 1 Residential Refrigerator(s)


Initial cost difference Life cycle savings Net life cycle savings (life cycle savings - additional cost) Simple payback of additional cost (years) Life cycle energy saved (kWh) Life cycle air pollution reduction (lbs of CO2) Air pollution reduction equivalence (number of cars removed from the road for a year) Air pollution reduction equivalence (acres of forest) Savings as a percent of retail price

$30 $97 $67 2.9 1,142 1,758 0.16 0.17 6%

Assumptions for Residential Refrigerators


Category Power
ENERGY STAR Qualified Unit Initial cost per unit Refrigerator Fresh Volume Refrigerator Freezer Volume Adjusted Volume Lifetime Annual Unit Energy Consumption For Selected Refrigerator Type 1-Manual Defrost Refrigerators 2-Partial Automatic Defrost Refrigerators 3-Top Mount Freezer without through-the-door ice 4-Side Mount Freezer without through-the-door ice 5-Bottom Mount Freezer without through-the-door ice 6-Top Mount Freezer with through-the-door ice 7-Side Mount Freezer with through-the-door ice Conventional Unit (New Unit) Initial cost per unit Refrigerator Fresh Volume Refrigerator Freezer Volume Adjusted Volume Lifetime Annual Unit Energy Consumption For Selected Refrigerator Type 1-Manual Defrost Refrigerators 2-Partial Automatic Defrost Refrigerators 3-Top Mount Freezer without through-the-door ice 4-Side Mount Freezer without through-the-door ice 5-Bottom Mount Freezer without through-the-door ice 6-Top Mount Freezer with through-the-door ice 7-Side Mount Freezer with through-the-door ice $1,180 14.75 6.76 25.7688 12 381 381 381 423 507 462 495 533 $1,150 14.75 6.76 25.7688 12 476 476 476 529 634 578 619 666 Value Data Source

ft3 ft3 ft3 years kWh kWh kWh kWh kWh kWh kWh kWh

Average retail price of a qualified model in 2008 from national retail data Average volume of all active refrigerator models, April 2009. Average volume of all active refrigerator models, April 2009. Calculated. Appliance Magazine, September 2008 Calculated based on minimum ENERGY STAR criteria for configuration. Calculated based on minimum ENERGY STAR criteria for configuration. Calculated based on minimum ENERGY STAR criteria for configuration. Calculated based on minimum ENERGY STAR criteria for configuration. Calculated based on minimum ENERGY STAR criteria for configuration. Calculated based on minimum ENERGY STAR criteria for configuration. Calculated based on minimum ENERGY STAR criteria for configuration. Calculated based on minimum ENERGY STAR criteria for configuration. Average retail price of a non-qualified model in 2008 from national retail pricing Average volume of all active refrigerator models, April 2009. Average volume of all active refrigerator models, April 2009. Calculated. Appliance Magazine, September 2008 Calculated based on minimum federal standard for configuration. Calculated based on minimum federal standard for configuration. Calculated based on minimum federal standard for configuration. Calculated based on minimum federal standard for configuration. Calculated based on minimum federal standard for configuration. Calculated based on minimum federal standard for configuration. Calculated based on minimum federal standard for configuration. Calculated based on minimum federal standard for configuration.

ft3 ft3 ft3 years kWh kWh kWh kWh kWh kWh kWh kWh

Usage
Number of operating hours per day Number of operating days per year Number of operating hours per year 24 hours/day 365 days/year 8,760 hours/year DOE Federal Test Procedure 10 CFR 430, Appendix A1 DOE Federal Test Procedure 10 CFR 430, Appendix A1 Calculated.

Discount Rate
Commercial and Residential Discount Rate (real) 4% A real discount rate of 4 percent is assumed, which is roughly equivalent to the nominal discount rate of 7 percent (4 percent real discount rate + 3 percent inflation rate).

Energy Prices
Commercial Electricity Price Residential Electricity Price $0.0953 $/kWh $0.1089 $/kWh US Department of Energy, Annual Energy Outlook 2011 (Early Release), (converted from 2009 to 2010 dollars), http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/er/

Carbon Emissions Factors


Electricity Carbon Emission Factors 1.54 lbs CO2/kWh EPA 2011

CO2 Equivalents
Annual CO2 sequestration per forested acre Annual CO2 emissions per average passenger car 10,347 lbs CO2/yr 11,244 lbs CO2/yr EPAs Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator, http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energyresources/calculator.html

If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please write to calculators@energystar.gov Calculator last updated April 2009, utility and emission rates updated July 2011

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