Model
Friedrich KCVS12B30A
Rank #294 means 293 of the 404 room air conditioner models we track cost less to run each year; the 28th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 28% of those models.
What does the Friedrich KCVS12B30A cost to run per year?
At about $118 a year, the Friedrich KCVS12B30A costs more to run than most room air conditioner models we track, rank #294 of 404. It uses 38% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $190/yr to run, a saving of roughly $72 a year. Efficiency-wise, once size is accounted for, it trails most of the class, ahead of only 28% of the models we track. At a CEER of 15, its combined energy efficiency ratio is the single figure that best explains how it earns its running-cost number.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Ge Appliances AWGP12W**# at $116/yr runs a little cheaper and the Friedrich WCVT10B10A at $118/yr runs a little more, a sense of how tightly models are packed at this point in the ranking. A room air conditioner typically stays in service for somewhere around 10 years; over that span, the Friedrich KCVS12B30A's $118/yr adds up to roughly $1180 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
By the numbers
The Friedrich KCVS12B30A 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 $118/yr, here is what the Friedrich KCVS12B30A adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Friedrich KCVS12B30A costs about $1180. That is roughly $720 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $1900 over the same ten years.
How the Friedrich KCVS12B30A compares
The room air conditioner class we track runs from $51 to $389 a year. At $118/yr, it runs about $19 a year above the class median of $99, and it is about $67 a year more than the cheapest room air conditioner to run at $51. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $190/yr, the Friedrich KCVS12B30A uses 38% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 12700 BTU/hr, the Friedrich KCVS12B30A is a large room air conditioner for its class, which spans 5000 to 34100 BTU/hr with a median of 10100 BTU/hr, and larger room air conditioner models generally cost more to run than smaller ones in the same class, simply because there is more to keep cold, spin, heat, or light. Beyond size, its CEER of 15, above the class median of 15, is the class's own efficiency yardstick, combined energy efficiency ratio, and it is what separates two similarly sized models with different running costs.
- Combined Energy Efficiency Ratio (CEER). Two units with the same BTU rating can post very different running costs, and CEER is the figure that explains most of that gap.
- BTU cooling capacity. BTU rating scales with room size, and it is usually the first driver of an air conditioner's running cost, ahead of its CEER figure.
- Thermostat and mode usage. How the unit is actually operated, thermostat cycling versus a fixed setting, moves real electricity use more than the rated BTU or CEER figure alone.
Common questions
Is the Friedrich KCVS12B30A cheap to run?
Its $118/yr running cost, rank #294 of 404, is above what most room air conditioner models we track cost to run, so this is not one of the cheaper picks on electricity alone.
How much does the Friedrich KCVS12B30A cost per month?
About $9.82 a month, which is the $118 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: 635 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $118 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Friedrich KCVS12B30A for its size?
28th 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_31705_KCVS12B30A_031320250540435_2384658View certified room air conditioner listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Friedrich and KCVS12B30A 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.