Model
Magic Chef MCR44WEF
Rank #188 means 187 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 30th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 30% of those models.
What does the Magic Chef MCR44WEF cost to run per year?
The Magic Chef MCR44WEF holds rank #188 of 1,000 on running cost, at about $42 a year, a genuinely cheap result for the class. It uses 10% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $47/yr to run, a saving of roughly $5 a year. Its size-adjusted efficiency percentile of 30 suggests its capacity is doing more work than its efficiency to keep the headline cost down. This class has no published efficiency-factor figure beyond annual kWh itself, so at 4.4 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 Magic Chef MCR44BEF at $42/yr runs a little cheaper and the Tcl TRM044S4AW at $42/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 MCR44WEF's $42/yr adds up to roughly $504 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Criterion CCR44CE1*.
By the numbers
The Magic Chef MCR44WEF 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 $42/yr, here is what the Magic Chef MCR44WEF 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 MCR44WEF costs about $420. That is roughly $50 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $470 over the same ten years.
How the Magic Chef MCR44WEF compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $42/yr, it runs about $22 a year cheaper than the class median of $64, and it is about $34 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $47/yr, the Magic Chef MCR44WEF uses 10% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 4.4 cu ft, the Magic Chef MCR44WEF 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 MCR44WEF cheap to run?
Yes. Its $42/yr running cost puts it at rank #188 of 1,000, below what most refrigerator models we track cost to run.
How much does the Magic Chef MCR44WEF cost per month?
About $3.53 a month, which is the $42 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: 228 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $42 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Magic Chef MCR44WEF for its size?
30th 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 196 | Magic Chef MCR44BEF4.4 cu ft | $42 |
| 195 | Magic Chef HMBR440WEF4.4 cu ft | $42 |
| 194 | Magic Chef HMBR440BE4.4 cu ft | $42 |
| 193 | Iseasy USF-S4.4CF-WH4.4 cu ft | $42 |
| 192 | Insignia NS-CF44GD3-C4.4 cu ft | $42 |
Source
ES_1107227_MCR44WEF_09092024143732_80220931View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Magic Chef and MCR44WEF 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.