Running cost for the Magic Chef HMDR31GSE
The Magic Chef HMDR31GSE is certified by ENERGY STAR at 320 kWh a year, cheaper than most models in its category to run among refrigerators currently certified.
The $60 figure above uses the simple average of all 51 published state rates. Pick your state for the real number.
Magic Chef HMDR31GSE against the category
That's 17.1% below the refrigerator category average of 386 kWh/yr, and ranks 1,981 of 4,704 certified refrigerators for annual running cost, 1 being cheapest. The category average comes from every refrigerator ENERGY STAR currently certifies (4,704 models), not an outside benchmark, about $12/year below that average at the national rate. See the methodology page.
What sits beside it in the ranking
Magic Chef HMDR31GWE ($60/yr, 320 kWh/yr) costs a little more to run than the Magic Chef HMDR31GSE. Magic Chef HMDR31GBE ($60/yr, 320 kWh/yr) costs a little less.
Comparing Magic Chef's own models
Magic Chef makes 121 ENERGY STAR certified refrigerators; this one ranks 86 of 121 for running cost, between the brand's cheapest, the MCR16CHB at $39/yr, and its priciest, the MCBM920W1 at $70/yr.
What this adds up to over time
13 years is NAHB's typical service life for this category; at $60/year, the Magic Chef HMDR31GSE adds up to about $782 in electricity over that span.
Weighing a replacement
The Magic Chef HMDR31GSE is already efficient for its category at $60/year. If you're shopping and comparing options, this is roughly what a well-chosen new refrigerator costs to run.
Compare current ENERGY STAR certified refrigerators before buying.
Protecting what you have
Whether or not the Magic Chef HMDR31GSE ever needs replacing, a repair is the more common failure for a refrigerator, one a protection plan budgets for ahead of time.
Sourcing
Two sourced numbers, nothing modeled: ENERGY STAR's certified kWh/yr for this exact model, and EIA's published state electricity rate. The full Refrigerator category page shows all 4,704 refrigerators ranked by cost; the state-rate guide covers the half of this number that isn't the appliance.