Model
Tcl W6WC72-I
Rank #16 means 15 of the 404 room air conditioner models we track cost less to run each year; the 94th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 94% of those models.
What does the Tcl W6WC72-I cost to run per year?
At $61 a year to run, the Tcl W6WC72-I is one of the very cheapest room air conditioner models we track, ranking #16 of 404, in the bottom five percent on cost. It uses 25% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $81/yr to run, a saving of roughly $20 a year. Once capacity is factored in, it outperforms 94% of the room air conditioner models we track on efficiency, not just on headline running cost. Its CEER of 13.7 reflects combined energy efficiency ratio, one of the class's core efficiency levers.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Tcl W6WC72-BI at $61/yr runs a little cheaper and the Ge PWJV08W**# at $70/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 W6WC72-I's $61/yr adds up to roughly $610 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Hisense WCT06W25A.
By the numbers
The Tcl W6WC72-I 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 $61/yr, here is what the Tcl W6WC72-I 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 W6WC72-I costs about $610. That is roughly $200 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $810 over the same ten years.
How the Tcl W6WC72-I compares
The room air conditioner class we track runs from $51 to $389 a year. At $61/yr, it runs about $38 a year cheaper than the class median of $99, and it is about $10 a year more than the cheapest room air conditioner to run at $51. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $81/yr, the Tcl W6WC72-I uses 25% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 6000 BTU/hr, the Tcl W6WC72-I is a small room air conditioner for its class, which spans 5000 to 34100 BTU/hr with a median of 10100 BTU/hr, 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. The CEER of 13.7 on this model, below the class median of 15, measures combined energy efficiency ratio; it is the number to compare directly against another model's CEER if capacity is similar.
- Combined Energy Efficiency Ratio (CEER). CEER captures cooling output per watt, including standby power; a higher CEER means less electricity for the same BTU of cooling.
- BTU cooling capacity. A higher-BTU unit is sized for a bigger room and generally uses more electricity per hour of operation than a smaller unit, regardless of efficiency.
- Thermostat and mode usage. Running on a fixed low temperature around the clock uses far more energy than using a thermostat setting, eco mode, or a timer to match cooling to when the room is actually occupied.
Common questions
Is the Tcl W6WC72-I cheap to run?
Yes, relatively. At $61 a year it ranks #16 of 404 room air conditioner models we track, in the cheaper part of its class to run.
How much does the Tcl W6WC72-I cost per month?
Roughly $5.08/mo, spreading the $61/yr estimate evenly across twelve months at $0.1856/kWh. Actual monthly bills swing with your rate and usage pattern.
How is this running-cost figure calculated?
We take the model's published annual energy use of 329 kWh from ENERGY STAR and multiply it by the US average residential electricity rate of $0.1856/kWh, giving about $61 a year. It is an electricity-only estimate and does not include purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Tcl W6WC72-I for its size?
94th percentile once size is factored in. That means its size-adjusted efficiency is a real factor in the running-cost figure above; its capacity plays a large role too.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | Tcl W6WC72-BI6000 BTU/hr | $61 |
| 23 | Tcl W6WC72-B6000 BTU/hr | $61 |
| 22 | Tcl W6WC726000 BTU/hr | $61 |
| 21 | Tcl T06WV9RB6000 BTU/hr | $61 |
| 20 | Tcl T06WV9R6000 BTU/hr | $61 |
Source
ES_1126578_W6WC72-I_11122025105736_80268636View certified room air conditioner listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Tcl and W6WC72-I 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.