Model
Marathon MCR47W
Rank #463 means 462 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 18th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 18% of those models.
What does the Marathon MCR47W cost to run per year?
At about $61 a year, the Marathon MCR47W lands in the middle third of refrigerator models we track on running cost, rank #463 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. Size-adjusted, this model ranks near the bottom of its class on efficiency, ahead of just 18% of refrigerator models we track. This class has no published efficiency-factor figure beyond annual kWh itself, so at 4.7 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 Vissani HVDR45PSF at $61/yr runs a little cheaper and the Arctic King ARM45D5ASL 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 Marathon MCR47W's $61/yr adds up to roughly $732 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
By the numbers
The Marathon MCR47W 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 Marathon MCR47W adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Marathon MCR47W 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 Marathon MCR47W 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 Marathon MCR47W uses 11% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 4.7 cu ft, the Marathon MCR47W is a small refrigerator for its class, which spans 1.2 to 31.7 cu ft with a median of 12.6 cu ft, at the small end of the class, capacity itself is doing a lot of the work to keep that figure down, separate from how efficient the unit actually is.
- 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 Marathon MCR47W cheap to run?
Roughly, yes. Its $61/yr figure is close to the class median, ranking #463 of 1,000, neither a bargain nor a splurge on running cost.
How much does the Marathon MCR47W cost per month?
About $5.07 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: 328 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 Marathon MCR47W for its size?
18th percentile once size is factored in, a fairly typical result for the class.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 462 | Vissani HVDR45PSF4.5 cu ft | $61 |
| 461 | Tcl MR453B4.5 cu ft | $61 |
| 460 | Summit CP73PL4.5 cu ft | $61 |
| 459 | Magic Chef MCDR45W4.5 cu ft | $61 |
| 458 | Magic Chef MCDR450BE4.5 cu ft | $61 |
Source
ES_1137295_MCR47W_02132026113622_80283538View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Marathon and MCR47W 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.