Model
Marathon MCF35W-1
Rank #6 means 5 of the 622 freezer 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 Marathon MCF35W-1 cost to run per year?
Almost nothing we track in this class costs less to run than the Marathon MCF35W-1: about $32 a year, rank #6 of 622. It uses 11% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $36/yr to run, a saving of roughly $4 a year. Adjusted for size, it is only more efficient than 19% of freezer models we track, so its headline cost is mostly a function of its capacity rather than efficiency. At 3.5 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 Kalamera KCF-100E at $32/yr runs a little cheaper and the Danby DCF035A5WDB at $32/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 Marathon MCF35W-1's $32/yr adds up to roughly $448 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs. At rank #6 of 622, it is one of the single cheapest freezer models we track to run, in the top one percent on cost.
By the numbers
The Marathon MCF35W-1 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 $32/yr, here is what the Marathon MCF35W-1 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 MCF35W-1 costs about $320. That is roughly $40 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $360 over the same ten years.
How the Marathon MCF35W-1 compares
The freezer class we track runs from $25 to $120 a year. At $32/yr, it runs about $43 a year cheaper than the class median of $75, and it is about $7 a year more than the cheapest freezer to run at $25. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $36/yr, the Marathon MCF35W-1 uses 11% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 3.5 cu ft, the Marathon MCF35W-1 is a small freezer for its class, which spans 1.1 to 23 cu ft with a median of 13.8 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. 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 Marathon MCF35W-1 cheap to run?
Yes, relatively. At $32 a year it ranks #6 of 622 freezer models we track, in the cheaper part of its class to run.
How much does the Marathon MCF35W-1 cost per month?
Roughly $2.66/mo, spreading the $32/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 172 kWh from ENERGY STAR and multiply it by the US average residential electricity rate of $0.1856/kWh, giving about $32 a year. It is an electricity-only estimate and does not include purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Marathon MCF35W-1 for its size?
19th 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Kalamera KCF-100E3.4 cu ft | $32 |
| 4 | Marathon MCF36W-13.4 cu ft | $31 |
| 3 | Epic ECF36W-13.4 cu ft | $31 |
| 2 | Liebherr UF36512.5 cu ft | $29 |
| 1 | Avanti CF24Q0W2.5 cu ft | $25 |
Source
ES_1137295_MCF35W-1_12232019124706_80022912View certified freezer listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Marathon and MCF35W-1 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.