Model
Midea MRU01M3ASL
Rank #29 means 28 of the 622 freezer models we track cost less to run each year; the 3rd efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 3% of those models.
What does the Midea MRU01M3ASL cost to run per year?
Almost nothing we track in this class costs less to run than the Midea MRU01M3ASL: about $40 a year, rank #29 of 622. It uses 11% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $45/yr to run, a saving of roughly $5 a year. Normalized for capacity, it beats only 3% of freezer models we track, the weakest tier this efficiency ranking produces. At 1.1 cu ft, it is a small freezer for the class, which runs 1.1 to 23 cu ft; size and efficiency are the two levers behind the figure above, and this dataset does not carry a separate efficiency-factor column for this class.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Midea MRU01M3ABB at $40/yr runs a little cheaper and the Midea MRU01M3AWW at $40/yr runs a little more, a sense of how tightly models are packed at this point in the ranking. A freezer typically stays in service for somewhere around 14 years; over that span, the Midea MRU01M3ASL's $40/yr adds up to roughly $560 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Arctic King AUFM011AEW.
By the numbers
The Midea MRU01M3ASL normalized against its whole class, so each figure means something.
What it costs you over time
Running cost is an every-year number, so it compounds. At $40/yr, here is what the Midea MRU01M3ASL adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Midea MRU01M3ASL costs about $400. That is roughly $50 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $450 over the same ten years.
How the Midea MRU01M3ASL compares
The freezer class we track runs from $25 to $120 a year. At $40/yr, it runs about $35 a year cheaper than the class median of $75, and it is about $15 a year more than the cheapest freezer to run at $25. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $45/yr, the Midea MRU01M3ASL uses 11% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 1.1 cu ft, the Midea MRU01M3ASL is a small freezer for its class, which spans 1.1 to 23 cu ft with a median of 13.8 cu ft, and smaller freezer models generally cost less to run for the same job, all else being equal.
- Interior volume. Cubic feet of frozen storage is the first lever behind a freezer's running cost, ahead of insulation or defrost type.
- Insulation and defrost type. Two freezers of the same size can differ meaningfully on running cost based on insulation quality and whether they run an automatic-defrost heater.
- Chest vs upright design. Chest freezers open from the top, so cold air, which sinks, stays inside when the lid opens; upright freezers lose more cold air per door opening for a similar capacity.
Common questions
Is the Midea MRU01M3ASL cheap to run?
Yes, relatively. At $40 a year it ranks #29 of 622 freezer models we track, in the cheaper part of its class to run.
How much does the Midea MRU01M3ASL cost per month?
Roughly $3.33/mo, spreading the $40/yr estimate evenly across twelve months at $0.1856/kWh. Actual monthly bills swing with your rate and usage pattern.
How is this running-cost figure calculated?
We take the model's published annual energy use of 215 kWh from ENERGY STAR and multiply it by the US average residential electricity rate of $0.1856/kWh, giving about $40 a year. It is an electricity-only estimate and does not include purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Midea MRU01M3ASL for its size?
3rd percentile once size is factored in. That means its size-adjusted efficiency is not the main reason for the running-cost figure above; its capacity plays a large role too.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 34 | Midea MRU01M3ABB1.1 cu ft | $40 |
| 33 | Koolatron KTUF341.1 cu ft | $40 |
| 32 | Honeywell H11MFW1.1 cu ft | $40 |
| 31 | Honeywell H11MFS1.1 cu ft | $40 |
| 30 | Honeywell H11MFB1.1 cu ft | $40 |
Source
ES_1030337_MRU01M3ASL_05122021121101_80081905View certified freezer listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Midea and MRU01M3ASL are used here for identification only and are not endorsements. Figures are computed by WattWise Labs from public ENERGY STAR data, not measured in our own lab.