Model
Tcl W12WC72
Rank #207 means 206 of the 404 room air conditioner models we track cost less to run each year; the 49th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 49% of those models.
What does the Tcl W12WC72 cost to run per year?
Among the 404 room air conditioner models we track, the Tcl W12WC72's $104/yr running cost ranks it #207, close to dead center. It uses 47% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $197/yr to run, a saving of roughly $93 a year. Capacity-normalized, it ranks ahead of 49% of room air conditioner models we track, right in the class's middle band. The CEER figure of 16 on this model captures combined energy efficiency ratio, the main efficiency lever ENERGY STAR tracks for this class.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Tcl T12WV9SB at $104/yr runs a little cheaper and the Tcl W12WC72-B at $104/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 Tcl W12WC72's $104/yr adds up to roughly $1040 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Midea MAW12V1WBK.
By the numbers
The Tcl W12WC72 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 $104/yr, here is what the Tcl W12WC72 adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Tcl W12WC72 costs about $1040. That is roughly $930 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $1970 over the same ten years.
How the Tcl W12WC72 compares
The room air conditioner class we track runs from $51 to $389 a year. At $104/yr, it runs about $5 a year above the class median of $99, and it is about $53 a year more than the cheapest room air conditioner to run at $51. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $197/yr, the Tcl W12WC72 uses 47% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 12000 BTU/hr, the Tcl W12WC72 is a mid-size room air conditioner for its class, which spans 5000 to 34100 BTU/hr with a median of 10100 BTU/hr, neither the size advantage of a small unit nor the size penalty of a large one applies here, so its running cost is a fairer test of efficiency alone. Its CEER of 16, above the class median of 15, reflects combined energy efficiency ratio: a higher figure means it wrings more useful work out of every kilowatt-hour, so it is the efficiency lever to weigh against raw size.
- 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 Tcl W12WC72 cheap to run?
Roughly, yes. Its $104/yr figure is close to the class median, ranking #207 of 404, neither a bargain nor a splurge on running cost.
How much does the Tcl W12WC72 cost per month?
About $8.7 a month, which is the $104 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: 563 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $104 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Tcl W12WC72 for its size?
49th percentile once size is factored in, a fairly typical result for the class.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 214 | Tcl T12WV9SB12000 BTU/hr | $104 |
| 213 | Tcl T12WV9S12000 BTU/hr | $104 |
| 212 | Tcl T12WV4S12000 BTU/hr | $104 |
| 211 | Midea MWEUWA-12CRFN8-BCP012000 BTU/hr | $104 |
| 210 | Midea MAW12V1WWT-T12000 BTU/hr | $104 |
Source
ES_1126578_W12WC72_11122025105736_80268948View certified room air conditioner listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Tcl and W12WC72 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.