I also try real hard to place the refrigerator on it's own circuit.
Part of the reason is that you really don't want something else to shut off the fridge.
Another reason is that, however the numbers may work today, refrigerators are getting HUGE.
When I was growing up, a typical fridge was about 5 ft. tall, 2 ft wide, and 2 ft. deep. A few ice cube trays took up almost half the freezer space.
I just had a customer buy an 800 lb monster, with double doors and bathtub-sized drawers. This thing was 6 ft. tall, 5 ft. wide, and 30" deep. My bedroom closet isn't that big.
Mark my words, it's just a matter of time before folks start installing walk-in coolers!
I am also seeing an increased use of upright freezers, in addition to the fridge. A "little old lady" I know has a "normal" fridge as well as a 4 ft. tall upright freezer, both plugged into the same place. That her apartment was carved out of a 100-yr old house suggests that her electric may be minimal at best.
So, though there is no code saying I must, I try to give the fridge its' own line.
