Model
Midea MRU21B6***
Rank #490 means 489 of the 622 freezer models we track cost less to run each year; the 91st efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 91% of those models.
What does the Midea MRU21B6*** cost to run per year?
At $92 a year to run, the Midea MRU21B6*** runs more expensively than most models in its class, ranking #490 of 622 freezer models we track. It uses 10% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $102/yr to run, a saving of roughly $10 a year. Efficiency-wise, once capacity is accounted for, it beats 91% of the class, a solidly strong result rather than a size-driven fluke. At 21.1 cu ft, it is a large 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 MFF212BLS at $92/yr runs a little cheaper and the Midea MRU21B6A** at $92/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 Midea MRU21B6***'s $92/yr adds up to roughly $1288 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Criterion CUF21M2*.
By the numbers
The Midea MRU21B6*** 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 $92/yr, here is what the Midea MRU21B6*** 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 MRU21B6*** costs about $920. That is roughly $100 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $1020 over the same ten years.
How the Midea MRU21B6*** compares
The freezer class we track runs from $25 to $120 a year. At $92/yr, it runs about $17 a year above the class median of $75, and it is about $67 a year more than the cheapest freezer to run at $25. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $102/yr, the Midea MRU21B6*** uses 10% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 21.1 cu ft, the Midea MRU21B6*** is a large freezer for its class, which spans 1.1 to 23 cu ft with a median of 13.8 cu ft, and larger freezer models generally cost more to run than smaller ones in the same class, simply because there is more to keep cold, spin, heat, or light.
- 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 Midea MRU21B6*** cheap to run?
Not especially. At $92 a year it ranks #490 of 622 freezer models we track, in the pricier part of its class to run, though its size and features may still justify that for your needs.
How much does the Midea MRU21B6*** cost per month?
Roughly $7.63/mo, spreading the $92/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 493 kWh from ENERGY STAR and multiply it by the US average residential electricity rate of $0.1856/kWh, giving about $92 a year. It is an electricity-only estimate and does not include purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Midea MRU21B6*** for its size?
91st 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 507 | Marathon MFF212BLS21.2 cu ft | $92 |
| 506 | Marathon MFF212*****21.2 cu ft | $92 |
| 505 | Koolatron KTUF600-W-E21.2 cu ft | $92 |
| 504 | Kenmore KKUF21-W21.2 cu ft | $92 |
| 503 | Golden GUF21GHS21.2 cu ft | $92 |
Source
ES_1129046_MRU21B6***_07242024010317_9159239View certified freezer listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Midea and MRU21B6*** 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.