Model
Magic Chef MCBR265BE
Rank #123 means 122 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 11th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 11% of those models.
What does the Magic Chef MCBR265BE cost to run per year?
Rank #123 of 1,000 puts the Magic Chef MCBR265BE among the cheapest refrigerator models we track to keep running, at roughly $40 a year. It uses 10% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $44/yr to run, a saving of roughly $4 a year. Size-adjusted, this model ranks near the bottom of its class on efficiency, ahead of just 11% of refrigerator models we track. This class has no published efficiency-factor figure beyond annual kWh itself, so at 2.6 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 Magic Chef HMAR265SE at $40/yr runs a little cheaper and the Magic Chef MCBR265WE at $40/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 Magic Chef MCBR265BE's $40/yr adds up to roughly $480 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Magic Chef HMAR265SE.
By the numbers
The Magic Chef MCBR265BE 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 $40/yr, here is what the Magic Chef MCBR265BE 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 MCBR265BE costs about $400. That is roughly $40 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $440 over the same ten years.
How the Magic Chef MCBR265BE compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $40/yr, it runs about $24 a year cheaper than the class median of $64, and it is about $32 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $44/yr, the Magic Chef MCBR265BE uses 10% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 2.6 cu ft, the Magic Chef MCBR265BE is a small refrigerator for its class, which spans 1.2 to 31.7 cu ft with a median of 12.6 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. 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 Magic Chef MCBR265BE cheap to run?
Yes. Its $40/yr running cost puts it at rank #123 of 1,000, below what most refrigerator models we track cost to run.
How much does the Magic Chef MCBR265BE cost per month?
About $3.33 a month, which is the $40 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: 215 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $40 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Magic Chef MCBR265BE for its size?
11th 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
Source
ES_1107227_MCBR265BE_101720212239743_3186053View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Magic Chef and MCBR265BE 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.