Model
Cool-Living CL-5UFR
Rank #15 means 14 of the 622 freezer models we track cost less to run each year; the 32nd efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 32% of those models.
What does the Cool-Living CL-5UFR cost to run per year?
Almost nothing we track in this class costs less to run than the Cool-Living CL-5UFR: about $36 a year, rank #15 of 622. It uses 11% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $40/yr to run, a saving of roughly $4 a year. Adjusted for size, it is only more efficient than 32% of freezer models we track, so part of its running cost comes from its capacity rather than efficiency alone. At 5 cu ft, it is a small freezer for the class, which runs 1.1 to 23 cu ft; size and efficiency are the two levers behind the figure above, and this dataset does not carry a separate efficiency-factor column for this class.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Marathon MCF50W-1 at $34/yr runs a little cheaper and the Danby DCF050A5WDB at $36/yr runs a little more, a sense of how tightly models are packed at this point in the ranking. A freezer typically stays in service for somewhere around 14 years; over that span, the Cool-Living CL-5UFR's $36/yr adds up to roughly $504 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Marathon MCF51W-1.
By the numbers
The Cool-Living CL-5UFR 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 $36/yr, here is what the Cool-Living CL-5UFR adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Cool-Living CL-5UFR costs about $360. That is roughly $40 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $400 over the same ten years.
How the Cool-Living CL-5UFR compares
The freezer class we track runs from $25 to $120 a year. At $36/yr, it runs about $39 a year cheaper than the class median of $75, and it is about $11 a year more than the cheapest freezer to run at $25. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $40/yr, the Cool-Living CL-5UFR uses 11% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 5 cu ft, the Cool-Living CL-5UFR is a small freezer for its class, which spans 1.1 to 23 cu ft with a median of 13.8 cu ft, and smaller freezer models generally cost less to run for the same job, all else being equal.
- Interior volume. Cubic feet of frozen storage is the first lever behind a freezer's running cost, ahead of insulation or defrost type.
- Insulation and defrost type. Two freezers of the same size can differ meaningfully on running cost based on insulation quality and whether they run an automatic-defrost heater.
- Chest vs upright design. Chest freezers open from the top, so cold air, which sinks, stays inside when the lid opens; upright freezers lose more cold air per door opening for a similar capacity.
Common questions
Is the Cool-Living CL-5UFR cheap to run?
Yes, relatively. At $36 a year it ranks #15 of 622 freezer models we track, in the cheaper part of its class to run.
How much does the Cool-Living CL-5UFR cost per month?
Roughly $3.02/mo, spreading the $36/yr estimate evenly across twelve months at $0.1856/kWh. Actual monthly bills swing with your rate and usage pattern.
How is this running-cost figure calculated?
We take the model's published annual energy use of 195 kWh from ENERGY STAR and multiply it by the US average residential electricity rate of $0.1856/kWh, giving about $36 a year. It is an electricity-only estimate and does not include purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Cool-Living CL-5UFR for its size?
32nd 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Marathon MCF50W-14.9 cu ft | $34 |
| 13 | Epic ECF50W-14.9 cu ft | $34 |
| 12 | Omnimax 3730-9223.5 cu ft | $32 |
| 11 | Midea MRC04M3C**3.5 cu ft | $32 |
| 10 | Master Chef 043-0292-23.5 cu ft | $32 |
Source
ES_1131297_CL-5UFR_06162020022916_80045629View certified freezer listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Cool-Living and CL-5UFR 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.