Running a room air conditioner
in Washington
Meter reading
per year
532 kWh certified × 14.95¢ per kWh ÷ 100 — median of 424 listed models
Default: Washington residential average, 14.95¢ per kWh, EIA JUL 2026. Overwrite it with the rate printed on your own bill.
SOURCE·ENERGY STAR certified product data·tariff Washington residential average 14.95¢ — EIA Electric Power Monthly, retrieved 2026-07-28·REVIEWED JUL 2026
$79.52 a year A typical ENERGY STAR certified room air conditioner uses 532 kWh a year. At Washington's average residential price of 14.95¢ per kWh, that is $79.52 a year, or $6.63 a month.
The tariff scales the whole rail; the model you buy is what moves the gate along it. The most efficient certified room air conditioner on this tariff draws $40.92 a year, the least efficient $313.40 — a standing difference of $272.48 a year for an appliance doing the same job.
How this is worked out
- Take the certified annual consumption for the appliance class off the EPA's ENERGY STAR register — the median of every listed model, not a wattage anyone assumed.
- Take the residential tariff off the EIA's Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A. Here that is Washington's residential average, 14.95¢ per kWh.
- Multiply, then divide by 100 to come out of cents. Nothing is rounded before this line.
- Derive the rest of the schedule from that one figure: ÷ 12 monthly, ÷ 365 daily, × 10 for a ten-year life.
- Overwrite the tariff terminal with the rate printed on your own bill and the register re-reads. The certified consumption does not move — that is the half of the sum nobody gets to opinion their way out of.
annual cost ($) = certified kWh per year × tariff ¢ per kWh ÷ 100
Every certified room air conditioner, cheapest to run first
The register above reads the median. This is the whole list it was taken from, priced at Washington's tariff. Running cost only — purchase price, capacity and repair record are not in this column, and a cheap-to-run model is not automatically the right buy.
| # | Model | kWh/yr | Cost/yr | vs typical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TCL T05WV9M · Window | 274 | $40.92 | saves $38.60 |
| 2 | TCL T05WV9MB · Window | 274 | $40.92 | saves $38.60 |
| 3 | TCL T05WV9R · Window | 274 | $40.92 | saves $38.60 |
| 4 | TCL T05WV9RB · Window | 274 | $40.92 | saves $38.60 |
| 5 | TCL W5WC72 · Window | 274 | $40.92 | saves $38.60 |
| 6 | TCL W5WC72-B · Window | 274 | $40.92 | saves $38.60 |
| 7 | TCL W5WC72M · Window | 274 | $40.92 | saves $38.60 |
| 8 | TCL W5WC72M-B · Window | 274 | $40.92 | saves $38.60 |
| 9 | Midea MAW06S1KWT-A · Window | 281 | $42.05 | saves $37.46 |
| 10 | Midea MAW06V1KYWT-S · Window | 281 | $42.05 | saves $37.46 |
| 11 | LG LW6023IVSM · Window | 290 | $43.40 | saves $36.12 |
| 12 | Midea MAW06U1QWT · Window | 298 | $44.55 | saves $34.97 |
| 13 | Midea MAW06V1QWBL-T · Window | 298 | $44.55 | saves $34.97 |
| 14 | Midea MAW06V1QWT · Window | 298 | $44.55 | saves $34.97 |
| 15 | Midea MAW06V1UBL · Window | 298 | $44.55 | saves $34.97 |
| 16 | Midea MAW06V1UWT · Window | 298 | $44.55 | saves $34.97 |
| 17 | Midea MWAUQB-06CRFN8-BCN11 · Window | 298 | $44.55 | saves $34.97 |
| 18 | Hisense WCT06W25A · Window | 329 | $49.11 | saves $30.41 |
| 19 | Midea MWEUWA-06CRFN8-BCM7 · Window | 329 | $49.11 | saves $30.41 |
| 20 | TCL H6W4KW · Window | 329 | $49.11 | saves $30.41 |
SOURCE·ENERGY STAR certified product data·424 certified room air conditioners on the register, listed by certified consumption·REVIEWED JUL 2026
What the certification spread is worth on this tariff
| Certified models in this category | 424 |
|---|---|
| Lowest certified energy use | 274 kWh/yr — $40.92/yr |
| Median certified energy use | 532 kWh/yr — $79.52/yr |
| Highest certified energy use | 2,096 kWh/yr — $313.40/yr |
| Difference, best to worst | $272.48 a year |
| …over a 10-year life | $2724.79 |
SOURCE·ENERGY STAR certified product data·priced at Washington's residential average, 14.95¢ per kWh·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 in Washington?
About $79.52 a year — $6.63 a month — for a typical ENERGY STAR certified room air conditioner using 532 kWh annually, at Washington's average residential rate of 14.95¢ per kWh.
How much electricity does a room air conditioner use?
Certified models range from 274 to 2,096 kWh a year, with a median of 532 kWh. That spread means the model you choose changes the running cost by $272.48 a year in Washington.
Is that more or less than the rest of the country?
Washington has the 37th highest residential electricity price of the 51 states and DC, at 14.95¢ against a national average of 19.41¢. The same room air conditioner costs $103.24 a year at the national average — $23.72 more than you pay.
Will my bill actually go up by this much?
Only roughly. This is the certified test figure at your state's average price. Your own tariff, how heavily you use the appliance, and its age all move the real number. Older non-certified appliances often use considerably more.
Other circuits on the Washington tariff
Same tariff, same method, one certified median each.
Consumption: US EPA ENERGY STAR certified product data. Tariff: US EIA Electric Power Monthly, retrieved 2026-07-28. Estimates for comparison only. Your actual bill depends on your tariff, how often you run the appliance, and local conditions.
