mbm MRF7W: running cost
At 332 kWh/yr, the mbm MRF7W's ENERGY STAR certification puts it cheaper than most models in its category to run against every other certified refrigerator.
That $62 is priced at 18.8¢/kWh, the average of all 51 state rates this site tracks. Your own state's rate is one click away.
Efficient, or not, for a refrigerator
Against the category average of 386 kWh/yr, this model uses 14% less, ranking 2,189 of 4,704 refrigerators tracked here for running cost. That average is drawn from all 4,704 refrigerators ENERGY STAR currently certifies, not an outside number, a $10/year gap from this model at the national rate. Full sourcing is in the sourcing notes.
Right next to it on the list
A rank or two either side of the mbm MRF7W: mbm MRF7S ($62/yr, 332 kWh/yr), then mbm MRN14B ($62/yr, 332 kWh/yr).
Same brand, different models
Ranked 3 of mbm's 6 certified refrigerators, this sits between the MRF7B ($62/yr, the brand's cheapest) and the MRN14W ($62/yr, its priciest).
mbm MRF7W over 13 years
NAHB's Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components puts a typical refrigerator's service life at 13 years; run the mbm MRF7W that long and it costs about $811 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Shopping for a new one
Efficient as certified refrigerators go, $62/year is a reasonable baseline if you're comparing what else is on the market.
Worth comparing a few current certified models before deciding.
If you're keeping it
At $62/year just to run, a refrigerator is worth protecting against an unplanned repair bill on top of that.
Where this number comes from
Nothing here is estimated from a nameplate wattage; the 332 kWh/yr is ENERGY STAR's own certified figure for this model. 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.