Model
Magic Chef HMDR450WE
Rank #456 means 455 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 17th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 17% of those models.
What does the Magic Chef HMDR450WE cost to run per year?
The Magic Chef HMDR450WE costs about $61 a year to run, a fairly typical figure for the class; it ranks #456 of 1,000. It uses 11% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $68/yr to run, a saving of roughly $7 a year. Its size-adjusted efficiency percentile of 17 means the low running cost, where it exists, is driven almost entirely by capacity rather than efficiency. This class has no published efficiency-factor figure beyond annual kWh itself, so at 4.5 cu ft (the class spans 1.2 to 31.7), size is the clearest lever we can point to for this model's running cost.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Frigidaire FRPE4534AV at $61/yr runs a little cheaper and the Magic Chef MCDR450BE at $61/yr runs a little more, a sense of how tightly models are packed at this point in the ranking. A refrigerator typically stays in service for somewhere around 12 years; over that span, the Magic Chef HMDR450WE's $61/yr adds up to roughly $732 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Frigidaire FRPE4534AV.
By the numbers
The Magic Chef HMDR450WE 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 $61/yr, here is what the Magic Chef HMDR450WE adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Magic Chef HMDR450WE costs about $610. That is roughly $70 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $680 over the same ten years.
How the Magic Chef HMDR450WE compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $61/yr, it runs about $3 a year cheaper than the class median of $64, and it is about $53 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $68/yr, the Magic Chef HMDR450WE uses 11% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 4.5 cu ft, the Magic Chef HMDR450WE is a small refrigerator for its class, which spans 1.2 to 31.7 cu ft with a median of 12.6 cu ft, and smaller refrigerator models generally cost less to run for the same job, all else being equal.
- Interior volume. More cubic feet of cold air to maintain generally means a bigger compressor and a higher running-cost figure, even among efficient models.
- Counter depth vs standard depth. Standard-depth models generally offer more interior volume per unit of width than counter-depth models, a tradeoff between built-in looks and cubic feet.
- Compressor technology. How a compressor cycles, full on/off versus a variable-speed inverter design, is one of the biggest hidden differences behind two fridges with similar cubic feet but different running costs.
- Placement and ventilation. Ventilation clearance around the back and top matters more than most owners expect; a fridge starved of airflow runs its compressor longer to hold the same temperature.
Common questions
Is the Magic Chef HMDR450WE cheap to run?
Roughly, yes. Its $61/yr figure is close to the class median, ranking #456 of 1,000, neither a bargain nor a splurge on running cost.
How much does the Magic Chef HMDR450WE cost per month?
About $5.06 a month, which is the $61 annual estimate spread across twelve months at the US average rate of $0.1856/kWh. Your own bill scales with your local electricity rate and how heavily you use it.
How is this running-cost figure calculated?
The formula is annual kWh times price per kWh: 327 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $61 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Magic Chef HMDR450WE for its size?
17th percentile once size is factored in, a fairly typical result for the class.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 456 | Frigidaire FRPE4534AV4.5 cu ft | $61 |
| 455 | Blomberg BRFB1532SS14 cu ft | $61 |
| 454 | Beko BFTF2716WH13.6 cu ft | $61 |
| 453 | Bangson US-BSR-3074 cu ft | $61 |
| 452 | Bangson US-BSR-3034 cu ft | $61 |
Source
ES_1107227_HMDR450WE_03292018034257_70177409View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Magic Chef and HMDR450WE 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.