Running cost for the Midea MRM31D2BST
The Midea MRM31D2BST is certified by ENERGY STAR at 270 kWh a year, one of the cheaper models in its category to run among refrigerators currently certified.
That $51 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 30.1% less, ranking 1,472 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 $22/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 Midea MRM31D2BST: Midea MK049ASTC ($51/yr, 270 kWh/yr), then Midea MRM32B4ABB ($51/yr, 270 kWh/yr).
Comparing Midea's own models
Ranked 66 of Midea's 162 certified refrigerators, this sits between the MRW14B2ABB ($23/yr, the brand's cheapest) and the MRF29D9B** ($147/yr, its priciest).
Midea MRM31D2BST over 13 years
NAHB's Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components puts a typical refrigerator's service life at 13 years; run the Midea MRM31D2BST that long and it costs about $660 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Is it worth replacing?
Efficient as certified refrigerators go, $51/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
A refrigerator like the Midea MRM31D2BST is a real household expense whether or not it needs replacing yet; a protection plan is one way to budget for a repair rather than a full replacement.
Where this number comes from
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.