Model
Magic Chef MCDR740BE1
Rank #496 means 495 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 33rd efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 33% of those models.
What does the Magic Chef MCDR740BE1 cost to run per year?
The Magic Chef MCDR740BE1 costs about $64 a year to run, a middle-of-the-pack figure at rank #496 of 1,000. It uses 11% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $71/yr to run, a saving of roughly $7 a year. Once capacity is factored in, its efficiency percentile of 33 is below the class median, worth weighing alongside the raw dollar figure. At 7.3 cu ft, it is a mid-size refrigerator for the class, which runs 1.2 to 31.7 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 Greenline GLHMR740W at $64/yr runs a little cheaper and the Magic Chef MCDR740WEF at $64/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 MCDR740BE1's $64/yr adds up to roughly $768 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Avanti AVRA7501BW.
By the numbers
The Magic Chef MCDR740BE1 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 $64/yr, here is what the Magic Chef MCDR740BE1 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 MCDR740BE1 costs about $640. That is roughly $70 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $710 over the same ten years.
How the Magic Chef MCDR740BE1 compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $64/yr, it sits right on the class median of $64, and it is about $56 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $71/yr, the Magic Chef MCDR740BE1 uses 11% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 7.3 cu ft, the Magic Chef MCDR740BE1 is a mid-size refrigerator for its class, which spans 1.2 to 31.7 cu ft with a median of 12.6 cu ft, putting it squarely in the middle of the class on the size lever that drives most of the cost.
- Interior volume. Cubic feet of interior volume is the first thing that scales a fridge's running cost up or down, before compressor quality even enters the picture.
- Counter depth vs standard depth. Counter-depth models sit flush with cabinets but usually hold less interior volume than a standard-depth model of the same width, which can nudge the per-cubic-foot running cost either way.
- Compressor technology. Newer variable-speed (inverter) compressors modulate output instead of cycling fully on and off, which tends to use less energy for the same cooling job than an older fixed-speed compressor.
- Placement and ventilation. A fridge pushed tight against a wall or cabinet, or standing next to an oven or in direct sun, works harder to shed the heat its compressor produces, which can push real-world cost above the published figure.
Common questions
Is the Magic Chef MCDR740BE1 cheap to run?
It is about average. At $64 a year it ranks #496 of 1,000 refrigerator models we track, close to the middle of its class on running cost.
How much does the Magic Chef MCDR740BE1 cost per month?
Roughly $5.32/mo, spreading the $64/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 344 kWh from ENERGY STAR and multiply it by the US average residential electricity rate of $0.1856/kWh, giving about $64 a year. It is an electricity-only estimate and does not include purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Magic Chef MCDR740BE1 for its size?
33rd percentile once size is factored in, a fairly typical result for the class.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 499 | Greenline GLHMR740W7.3 cu ft | $64 |
| 498 | Danby DPF074B2BDB-67.3 cu ft | $64 |
| 497 | Bevoi BVIREF7W7.3 cu ft | $64 |
| 496 | Avanti AVRA7501BW7.3 cu ft | $64 |
| 495 | Lg LRDNC1004*10.8 cu ft | $63 |
Source
ES_1107227_MCDR740BE1_11262021111451_80099387View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Magic Chef and MCDR740BE1 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.