Model
Magic Chef MCUF3STE
Rank #87 means 86 of the 622 freezer models we track cost less to run each year; the 6th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 6% of those models.
What does the Magic Chef MCUF3STE cost to run per year?
Rank #87 of 622 puts the Magic Chef MCUF3STE among the cheapest freezer models we track to keep running, at roughly $45 a year. It uses 10% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $50/yr to run, a saving of roughly $5 a year. Size-adjusted, this model ranks near the bottom of its class on efficiency, ahead of just 6% of freezer models we track. This class has no published efficiency-factor figure beyond annual kWh itself, so at 3 cu ft (the class spans 1.1 to 23), size is the clearest lever we can point to for this model's running cost.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Magic Chef MCUF3BE at $45/yr runs a little cheaper and the Magic Chef MCUF3WE at $45/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 Magic Chef MCUF3STE's $45/yr adds up to roughly $630 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Magic Chef MCUF3BE.
By the numbers
The Magic Chef MCUF3STE 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 $45/yr, here is what the Magic Chef MCUF3STE 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 MCUF3STE costs about $450. That is roughly $50 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $500 over the same ten years.
How the Magic Chef MCUF3STE compares
The freezer class we track runs from $25 to $120 a year. At $45/yr, it runs about $30 a year cheaper than the class median of $75, and it is about $20 a year more than the cheapest freezer to run at $25. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $50/yr, the Magic Chef MCUF3STE uses 10% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 3 cu ft, the Magic Chef MCUF3STE is a small freezer for its class, which spans 1.1 to 23 cu ft with a median of 13.8 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. As with refrigerators, more cubic feet of frozen storage generally means a bigger compressor and a higher annual energy figure.
- Insulation and defrost type. Better-insulated cabinets lose less cold to the surrounding room, and frost-free (automatic-defrost) freezers run a periodic heating element that a manual-defrost model does not.
- Chest vs upright design. Door orientation affects how much cold air escapes per opening: top-opening chest designs generally hold cold better than front-opening upright ones.
Common questions
Is the Magic Chef MCUF3STE cheap to run?
Yes. Its $45/yr running cost puts it at rank #87 of 622, below what most freezer models we track cost to run.
How much does the Magic Chef MCUF3STE cost per month?
About $3.77 a month, which is the $45 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: 244 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $45 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Magic Chef MCUF3STE for its size?
6th 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 87 | Magic Chef MCUF3BE3 cu ft | $45 |
| 86 | Conserv FR300WG3.1 cu ft | $45 |
| 85 | Conserv FR300SG3.1 cu ft | $45 |
| 84 | Conserv FR300BG3.1 cu ft | $45 |
| 83 | Midea WHS-109FW13 cu ft | $45 |
Source
ES_1107227_MCUF3STE_062920220522169_7432186View certified freezer listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Magic Chef and MCUF3STE 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.