Model
Insignia NS-CFR32MT1
Rank #441 means 440 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 7th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 7% of those models.
What does the Insignia NS-CFR32MT1 cost to run per year?
The Insignia NS-CFR32MT1 costs about $60 a year to run, a fairly typical figure for the class; it ranks #441 of 1,000. It uses 10% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $67/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 7% of refrigerator models we track. This class has no published efficiency-factor figure beyond annual kWh itself, so at 3.2 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 Summit CP34W at $60/yr runs a little cheaper and the Magic Chef HMCR320RE at $60/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 Insignia NS-CFR32MT1's $60/yr adds up to roughly $720 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Magic Chef HMCR320RE.
By the numbers
The Insignia NS-CFR32MT1 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 $60/yr, here is what the Insignia NS-CFR32MT1 adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Insignia NS-CFR32MT1 costs about $600. That is roughly $70 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $670 over the same ten years.
How the Insignia NS-CFR32MT1 compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $60/yr, it runs about $4 a year cheaper than the class median of $64, and it is about $52 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $67/yr, the Insignia NS-CFR32MT1 uses 10% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 3.2 cu ft, the Insignia NS-CFR32MT1 is a small refrigerator for its class, which spans 1.2 to 31.7 cu ft with a median of 12.6 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. 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 Insignia NS-CFR32MT1 cheap to run?
Roughly, yes. Its $60/yr figure is close to the class median, ranking #441 of 1,000, neither a bargain nor a splurge on running cost.
How much does the Insignia NS-CFR32MT1 cost per month?
About $5 a month, which is the $60 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: 323 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $60 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Insignia NS-CFR32MT1 for its size?
7th percentile once size is factored in, a fairly typical result for the class.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 440 | Summit CP34W3.2 cu ft | $60 |
| 439 | Tcl TRM47D5AW4.7 cu ft | $60 |
| 438 | Ge GDE03GLK****3 cu ft | $60 |
| 437 | Frestec FTC47RE4.7 cu ft | $60 |
| 436 | Whirlpool WH31S1E3.1 cu ft | $59 |
Source
ES_1059185_NS-CFR32MT1_07032020024333_4213955View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Insignia and NS-CFR32MT1 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.