What a room air conditioner
costs to run
Meter reading
per year
532 kWh certified × 19.41¢ per kWh ÷ 100 — median of 424 listed models
Default: US residential average, 19.41¢ per kWh, EIA JUL 2026. Overwrite it with your own rate, or pick your state below.
SOURCE·ENERGY STAR certified product data·tariff US residential average 19.41¢ — EIA Electric Power Monthly, retrieved 2026-07-28·REVIEWED JUL 2026
$103.24 a year A typical ENERGY STAR certified room air conditioner uses 532 kWh a year, which at the US average residential price of 19.41¢ per kWh is $103.24 a year.
That is the national figure, and nobody is billed at a national figure: the same appliance costs $65.69 a year in Idaho and $276.59 in Hawaii.
How this is worked out
- Take the certified annual consumption for the appliance class off the EPA's ENERGY STAR register — the median of every listed model, not a wattage anyone assumed.
- Take the residential tariff off the EIA's Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A. Here that is the US residential average, 19.41¢ per kWh.
- Multiply, then divide by 100 to come out of cents. Nothing is rounded before this line.
- Derive the rest of the schedule from that one figure: ÷ 12 monthly, ÷ 365 daily, × 10 for a ten-year life.
- Overwrite the tariff terminal with the rate printed on your own bill and the register re-reads. The certified consumption does not move — that is the half of the sum nobody gets to opinion their way out of.
annual cost ($) = certified kWh per year × tariff ¢ per kWh ÷ 100
Every certified model, cheapest to run first
Priced at the US average of 19.41¢/kWh. Nothing on this list is promoted or buried — it is the certified consumption in order.
| # | Model | kWh/yr | Cost/yr | vs typical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TCL T05WV9M · Window | 274 | $53.13 | saves $50.12 |
| 2 | TCL T05WV9MB · Window | 274 | $53.13 | saves $50.12 |
| 3 | TCL T05WV9R · Window | 274 | $53.13 | saves $50.12 |
| 4 | TCL T05WV9RB · Window | 274 | $53.13 | saves $50.12 |
| 5 | TCL W5WC72 · Window | 274 | $53.13 | saves $50.12 |
| 6 | TCL W5WC72-B · Window | 274 | $53.13 | saves $50.12 |
| 7 | TCL W5WC72M · Window | 274 | $53.13 | saves $50.12 |
| 8 | TCL W5WC72M-B · Window | 274 | $53.13 | saves $50.12 |
| 9 | Midea MAW06S1KWT-A · Window | 281 | $54.60 | saves $48.64 |
| 10 | Midea MAW06V1KYWT-S · Window | 281 | $54.60 | saves $48.64 |
| 11 | LG LW6023IVSM · Window | 290 | $56.35 | saves $46.89 |
| 12 | Midea MAW06U1QWT · Window | 298 | $57.84 | saves $45.40 |
| 13 | Midea MAW06V1QWBL-T · Window | 298 | $57.84 | saves $45.40 |
| 14 | Midea MAW06V1QWT · Window | 298 | $57.84 | saves $45.40 |
| 15 | Midea MAW06V1UBL · Window | 298 | $57.84 | saves $45.40 |
| 16 | Midea MAW06V1UWT · Window | 298 | $57.84 | saves $45.40 |
| 17 | Midea MWAUQB-06CRFN8-BCN11 · Window | 298 | $57.84 | saves $45.40 |
| 18 | Hisense WCT06W25A · Window | 329 | $63.76 | saves $39.48 |
| 19 | Midea MWEUWA-06CRFN8-BCM7 · Window | 329 | $63.76 | saves $39.48 |
| 20 | TCL H6W4KW · Window | 329 | $63.76 | saves $39.48 |
| 21 | TCL T06WQ2S · Window | 329 | $63.76 | saves $39.48 |
| 22 | TCL T06WV9R · Window | 329 | $63.76 | saves $39.48 |
| 23 | TCL T06WV9RB · Window | 329 | $63.76 | saves $39.48 |
| 24 | TCL W6WC72 · Window | 329 | $63.76 | saves $39.48 |
| 25 | TCL W6WC72-B · Window | 329 | $63.76 | saves $39.48 |
SOURCE·ENERGY STAR certified product data·424 certified room air conditioners on the register, listed by certified consumption·REVIEWED JUL 2026
The same room air conditioner on 51 tariffs
| State | Price per kWh | Cost per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 52.00¢ | $276.59 | $23.05 |
| California | 33.25¢ | $176.86 | $14.74 |
| New York | 29.93¢ | $159.20 | $13.27 |
| Rhode Island | 29.46¢ | $156.70 | $13.06 |
| Massachusetts | 28.82¢ | $153.29 | $12.77 |
| Maine | 28.63¢ | $152.28 | $12.69 |
| Alaska | 28.23¢ | $150.16 | $12.51 |
| Connecticut | 27.37¢ | $145.58 | $12.13 |
| New Hampshire | 27.33¢ | $145.37 | $12.11 |
| District of Columbia | 25.40¢ | $135.10 | $11.26 |
| Vermont | 24.89¢ | $132.39 | $11.03 |
| Illinois | 23.85¢ | $126.86 | $10.57 |
| New Jersey | 23.27¢ | $123.77 | $10.31 |
| Michigan | 22.01¢ | $117.07 | $9.76 |
| Maryland | 21.77¢ | $115.79 | $9.65 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.55¢ | $114.62 | $9.55 |
| Wisconsin | 19.74¢ | $105.00 | $8.75 |
| Ohio | 19.52¢ | $103.83 | $8.65 |
| Delaware | 19.38¢ | $103.08 | $8.59 |
| Indiana | 18.15¢ | $96.54 | $8.04 |
| Virginia | 17.61¢ | $93.67 | $7.81 |
| Minnesota | 16.95¢ | $90.16 | $7.51 |
| West Virginia | 16.80¢ | $89.36 | $7.45 |
| Alabama | 16.77¢ | $89.20 | $7.43 |
| Texas | 16.44¢ | $87.44 | $7.29 |
| Oregon | 16.27¢ | $86.54 | $7.21 |
| South Carolina | 16.18¢ | $86.06 | $7.17 |
| Colorado | 16.16¢ | $85.96 | $7.16 |
| Mississippi | 16.16¢ | $85.96 | $7.16 |
| Georgia | 15.84¢ | $84.25 | $7.02 |
| South Dakota | 15.73¢ | $83.67 | $6.97 |
| Arizona | 15.23¢ | $81.01 | $6.75 |
| Florida | 15.17¢ | $80.69 | $6.72 |
| Kansas | 15.13¢ | $80.48 | $6.71 |
| North Carolina | 15.09¢ | $80.26 | $6.69 |
| Kentucky | 14.98¢ | $79.68 | $6.64 |
| Washington | 14.95¢ | $79.52 | $6.63 |
| Wyoming | 14.80¢ | $78.72 | $6.56 |
| Montana | 14.67¢ | $78.03 | $6.50 |
| Tennessee | 14.47¢ | $76.97 | $6.41 |
| Arkansas | 14.36¢ | $76.38 | $6.37 |
| Louisiana | 14.15¢ | $75.26 | $6.27 |
| Iowa | 14.14¢ | $75.21 | $6.27 |
| New Mexico | 14.12¢ | $75.10 | $6.26 |
| Missouri | 13.68¢ | $72.76 | $6.06 |
| North Dakota | 13.61¢ | $72.39 | $6.03 |
| Nevada | 13.60¢ | $72.34 | $6.03 |
| Nebraska | 13.59¢ | $72.29 | $6.02 |
| Oklahoma | 13.38¢ | $71.17 | $5.93 |
| Utah | 12.96¢ | $68.93 | $5.74 |
| Idaho | 12.35¢ | $65.69 | $5.47 |
One certified room air conditioner at the median consumption of 532 kWh a year, wired to 51 different tariffs. Same appliance, same duty cycle, same certification — only the tariff changes.
SOURCE·US EIA Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A·retrieved 2026-07-28·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Schedule notes
How much does it cost to run a room air conditioner?
About $103.24 a year at the US average residential price of 19.41¢ per kWh, for a typical ENERGY STAR certified room air conditioner using 532 kWh annually. Your own tariff decides the rest — put it into the terminal beside the register and the figure re-reads.
Which room air conditioners are cheapest to run?
The certified list runs from 274 to 2,096 kWh a year across 424 models, so at the US average the best costs $53.13 a year to run and the worst $406.89. The full ranking is on this page, in certified order, with nothing promoted.
Does the state I live in change the answer?
Considerably. The same room air conditioner costs $65.69 a year in Idaho at 12.35¢ and $276.59 in Hawaii at 52.00¢. Every state is listed on this page.
