Refrigerators should last 15 or 20 years. They will last longer than that, but they have been improving rapidly in recent decades. After 20 years, the energy cost savings make it more cost efficient to buy a new one.
Speaking of energy, yesterday Google featured some interesting info on their front page, which can be found here: http://www.google.com/green/efficiency/ They are running their data centers at 80°F, which surprised me. They use a lot of natural cooling, such as ocean water in data centers next to the ocean. - Jed
