Model
Midea MRB49B3A**
Rank #491 means 490 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 19th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 19% of those models.
What does the Midea MRB49B3A** cost to run per year?
At about $62 a year, the Midea MRB49B3A** lands in the middle third of refrigerator models we track on running cost, rank #491 of 1,000. It uses 10% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $69/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 19% of refrigerator models we track. This class has no published efficiency-factor figure beyond annual kWh itself, so at 4.9 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 West Bend WBFF146DLJ#** at $62/yr runs a little cheaper and the Kitchenaid KBBX104*** at $62/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 Midea MRB49B3A**'s $62/yr adds up to roughly $744 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
By the numbers
The Midea MRB49B3A** 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 $62/yr, here is what the Midea MRB49B3A** 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 MRB49B3A** costs about $620. That is roughly $70 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $690 over the same ten years.
How the Midea MRB49B3A** compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $62/yr, it runs about $2 a year cheaper than the class median of $64, and it is about $54 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $69/yr, the Midea MRB49B3A** uses 10% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 4.9 cu ft, the Midea MRB49B3A** is a small refrigerator for its class, which spans 1.2 to 31.7 cu ft with a median of 12.6 cu ft, less capacity to service is usually the first reason a running-cost figure lands on the low side, before efficiency even enters the picture.
- 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 Midea MRB49B3A** cheap to run?
Roughly, yes. Its $62/yr figure is close to the class median, ranking #491 of 1,000, neither a bargain nor a splurge on running cost.
How much does the Midea MRB49B3A** cost per month?
About $5.18 a month, which is the $62 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: 335 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $62 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Midea MRB49B3A** for its size?
19th percentile once size is factored in, a fairly typical result for the class.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 490 | West Bend WBFF146DLJ#**14.6 cu ft | $62 |
| 489 | Vissani VS146HSTMB14.6 cu ft | $62 |
| 488 | Upstreman BD147-Black14.7 cu ft | $62 |
| 487 | Samsung RT18DG6300**17.5 cu ft | $62 |
| 486 | Koolmore KM-TMR-14-W14.2 cu ft | $62 |
Source
ES_1030337_MRB49B3A**_071320230305324_9672083View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Midea and MRB49B3A** 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.