Midea MCHW-50VN3B: running cost
The Midea MCHW-50VN3B is certified by ENERGY STAR at 861 kWh a year, cheaper than most models in its category to run among electric water heaters currently certified.
That $162 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.
How the Midea MCHW-50VN3B compares to other electric water heaters
Against the category average of 1,105 kWh/yr, this model uses 22.1% less, ranking 98 of 596 electric water heaters tracked here for running cost. 596 certified electric water heaters, one average, about $46/year of daylight between it and this model; the full methodology has the rest.
Neighbouring models
Right next to the Midea MCHW-50VN3B on that list: Midea MAHW-50VN3B ($162/yr, 861 kWh/yr) runs slightly less, while Midea US3-RSJ-15/190RDVN3-L4 ($162/yr, 861 kWh/yr) runs slightly more.
Within the Midea lineup
Ranked 8 of Midea's 27 certified electric water heaters, this sits between the CAN3-RSJ-15/190RDVN3-L3 ($161/yr, the brand's cheapest) and the US3-RSJ-15/300RDVN3-L3 ($233/yr, its priciest).
Cost over its typical lifespan
NAHB's Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components puts a typical electric water heater's service life at 11 years; run the Midea MCHW-50VN3B that long and it costs about $1,781 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Shopping for a new one
Efficient as certified electric water heaters go, $162/year is a reasonable baseline if you're comparing what else is on the market.
See what else is certified in this category before you decide.
If you're keeping it
$162/year to run is the predictable cost of the Midea MCHW-50VN3B; a protection plan covers the unpredictable one, a repair bill.
How this was checked
At rank 98 of 596 for running cost, see the electric water heater category page for the rest of the field, or the guide to how much your state matters. The 861 kWh/yr figure is ENERGY STAR's own certification, not a wattage estimate; exact dataset IDs are on the data sources page.