The short answer
The yellow EnergyGuide dollar estimate uses standardized price and usage assumptions. Apply your own dollars-per-kWh tariff to a compatible annual energy quantity for a household scenario. Check any associated hot-water or drying scope, and keep the printed comparison estimate distinct from measured use in your home.
The yellow dollar figure is a comparison estimate
The FTC explains that EnergyGuide operating costs use standardized usage and a national energy-price assumption. Your local tariff and routine can produce a different cost. Keep the label’s annual energy figure separate from its printed dollar estimate.
An ENERGY STAR certification mark answers a different question about efficiency eligibility. It does not supply your local electricity price. For cost calculations, find a compatible consumption figure and its unit, rather than treating a badge or an efficiency ratio as kWh.
A documented refrigerator example
The ENERGY STAR export for registry ID 2218984 lists Whirlpool WRT549SZD*, a 19.3 cubic-foot top-freezer refrigerator without an ice maker, at 378 kWh/year. The export is captured on 17 August 2026. Retain the record ID and model notation when checking the source.
That is a published registry figure, not a measurement by Watt & Home. It supplies a traceable input for this example; it is not a current shopping recommendation.
| Local rate you enter — illustrative | Calculated annual electricity cost |
|---|---|
| $0.15/kWh | $56.70 |
| $0.20/kWh | $75.60 |
| $0.30/kWh | $113.40 |
At $0.20/kWh, the annual average is $6.30/month or about $0.21/day. These prices are illustrative, not US averages or current utility quotes. The annual kWh is used directly, without multiplying by another 24 hours or applying another compressor-on percentage.
Enter cents as dollars per kWh
A quoted 20 cents/kWh becomes 0.20 with USD selected. Entering 20 would price the energy at twenty dollars per kWh. Currency selection changes the display; it does not convert a number from pounds to dollars.
Use the price applicable to the consumption you are estimating. A monthly payment is not a unit rate. Where prices change by tier, season or time, one flat rate is only a stated scenario. Read the US running-cost journey for how to move from one appliance to a household comparison.
Washers and dishwashers need a scope check
A refrigerator’s annual figure should not be treated as a template for every appliance. ENERGY STAR explains that US washer efficiency metrics include related energy components, including water heating. Published annual estimates and an appliance-socket measurement can therefore have different boundaries.
IMEF and IWF are efficiency metrics, not annual kWh inputs. For a washer or dishwasher, keep the exact source, test-use assumptions and hot-water treatment with the value. Do not count associated energy again in a separate household row if your source already includes it.
For a complete wash-and-dry task, use a documented task figure or an appropriate measurement. Do not assume every US appliance provides an annual EnergyGuide input.
Separate an appliance estimate from the whole bill
The $75.60 result prices the entered refrigerator energy. It excludes the purchase price, repairs and unrelated household consumption. Fixed bill charges can remain even if that energy falls.
Use the household planner to add non-overlapping appliance estimates. A planner built from appliance figures is not automatically the same as a utility meter total: lighting, omitted devices and differences in source assumptions still matter.
For a tariff decision, use the tariff comparison with whole-home kWh and applicable fixed charges.
Choose the next decision
Use the guided label reader with United States selected to retain the annual or task basis. The worked-example link below loads the refrigerator calculation in USD.
If two new models are on your shortlist, compare purchase plus electricity. If a working appliance can be kept, calculate replacement payback against that keeping baseline. Record the exact model, tariff date and source scope before saving or sharing your estimate.