Model
Marathon MFF179SSBM-RH
Rank #669 means 668 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 78th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 78% of those models.
What does the Marathon MFF179SSBM-RH cost to run per year?
The Marathon MFF179SSBM-RH costs about $81 a year to run, more than most of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track; it ranks #669. It uses 14% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $95/yr to run, a saving of roughly $14 a year. Efficiency-wise, once size is accounted for, it edges out 78% of the class, a modestly above-average showing. This class has no published efficiency-factor figure beyond annual kWh itself, so at 18 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 Hamilton Beach HBF1800 at $81/yr runs a little cheaper and the Marathon MFF179WBM-RH at $81/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 MFF179SSBM-RH's $81/yr adds up to roughly $972 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Hamilton Beach HBF1800.
By the numbers
The Marathon MFF179SSBM-RH 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 $81/yr, here is what the Marathon MFF179SSBM-RH 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 MFF179SSBM-RH costs about $810. That is roughly $140 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $950 over the same ten years.
How the Marathon MFF179SSBM-RH compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $81/yr, it runs about $17 a year above the class median of $64, and it is about $73 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $95/yr, the Marathon MFF179SSBM-RH uses 14% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 18 cu ft, the Marathon MFF179SSBM-RH is a mid-size refrigerator for its class, which spans 1.2 to 31.7 cu ft with a median of 12.6 cu ft, neither the size advantage of a small unit nor the size penalty of a large one applies here, so its running cost is a fairer test of efficiency alone.
- 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 MFF179SSBM-RH cheap to run?
Its $81/yr running cost, rank #669 of 1,000, is above what most refrigerator models we track cost to run, so this is not one of the cheaper picks on electricity alone.
How much does the Marathon MFF179SSBM-RH cost per month?
About $6.77 a month, which is the $81 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: 438 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $81 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Marathon MFF179SSBM-RH for its size?
78th percentile once size is factored in. That means its size-adjusted efficiency is a real factor in the running-cost figure above; its capacity plays a large role too.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 669 | Hamilton Beach HBF180018 cu ft | $81 |
| 668 | Beko BFBF30116SSIM16.1 cu ft | $81 |
| 667 | Vitara VFFR1803ESE17.7 cu ft | $81 |
| 666 | Stovv F18HF01SW17.7 cu ft | $81 |
| 665 | Marathon MFF180WFD-117.7 cu ft | $81 |
Source
ES_1137295_MFF179SSBM-RH_01232024101405_2977947View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Marathon and MFF179SSBM-RH 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.