Model
Mainstays MS553614756001
Rank #311 means 310 of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track cost less to run each year; the 10th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 10% of those models.
What does the Mainstays MS553614756001 cost to run per year?
The Mainstays MS553614756001 costs about $50 a year to run, which beats most of the 1,000 refrigerator models we track; it ranks #311. It uses 25% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $66/yr to run, a saving of roughly $16 a year. Size-adjusted, this model ranks near the bottom of its class on efficiency, ahead of just 10% of refrigerator models we track. This class has no published efficiency-factor figure beyond annual kWh itself, so at 3.1 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 Insignia NS-CF31TM**26L at $50/yr runs a little cheaper and the Midea MRM31D2BST at $50/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 Mainstays MS553614756001's $50/yr adds up to roughly $600 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Edgestar CRF321SS.
By the numbers
The Mainstays MS553614756001 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 $50/yr, here is what the Mainstays MS553614756001 adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Mainstays MS553614756001 costs about $500. That is roughly $160 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $660 over the same ten years.
How the Mainstays MS553614756001 compares
The refrigerator class we track runs from $8 to $149 a year. At $50/yr, it runs about $14 a year cheaper than the class median of $64, and it is about $42 a year more than the cheapest refrigerator to run at $8. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $66/yr, the Mainstays MS553614756001 uses 25% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 3.1 cu ft, the Mainstays MS553614756001 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 Mainstays MS553614756001 cheap to run?
Yes. Its $50/yr running cost puts it at rank #311 of 1,000, below what most refrigerator models we track cost to run.
How much does the Mainstays MS553614756001 cost per month?
About $4.18 a month, which is the $50 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: 270 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $50 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Mainstays MS553614756001 for its size?
10th percentile once size is factored in, a fairly typical result for the class.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 314 | Insignia NS-CF31TM**26L3.1 cu ft | $50 |
| 313 | Forno FFFFD1738-28WHT-RS14 cu ft | $50 |
| 312 | Elisii DFFFD1738-28RS14 cu ft | $50 |
| 311 | Edgestar CRF321SS3.1 cu ft | $50 |
| 310 | Black+Decker BUC1400XS14 cu ft | $50 |
Source
ES_20877_MS553614756001_040120250314766_7535234View certified refrigerator listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Mainstays and MS553614756001 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.