Model
Tcl W8WC72
Rank #26 means 25 of the 404 room air conditioner models we track cost less to run each year; the 91st efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 91% of those models.
What does the Tcl W8WC72 cost to run per year?
Few room air conditioner models we track cost less to run than the Tcl W8WC72: about $70 a year, rank #26 of 404. It uses 47% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $131/yr to run, a saving of roughly $61 a year. Adjusted for its ceer, it is more efficient than 91% of room air conditioner models we track, a strong result once size is taken into account. Its CEER of 16 reflects combined energy efficiency ratio, one of the class's core efficiency levers.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Tcl T08WV9SB at $70/yr runs a little cheaper and the Tcl W8WC72-B 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 W8WC72's $70/yr adds up to roughly $700 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Ge PWJV08W**#.
By the numbers
The Tcl W8WC72 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 $70/yr, here is what the Tcl W8WC72 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 W8WC72 costs about $700. That is roughly $610 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $1310 over the same ten years.
How the Tcl W8WC72 compares
The room air conditioner class we track runs from $51 to $389 a year. At $70/yr, it runs about $29 a year cheaper than the class median of $99, and it is about $19 a year more than the cheapest room air conditioner to run at $51. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $131/yr, the Tcl W8WC72 uses 47% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 8000 BTU/hr, the Tcl W8WC72 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. Beyond size, its CEER of 16, 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). 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 W8WC72 cheap to run?
Yes, relatively. At $70 a year it ranks #26 of 404 room air conditioner models we track, in the cheaper part of its class to run.
How much does the Tcl W8WC72 cost per month?
Roughly $5.8/mo, spreading the $70/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 375 kWh from ENERGY STAR and multiply it by the US average residential electricity rate of $0.1856/kWh, giving about $70 a year. It is an electricity-only estimate and does not include purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Tcl W8WC72 for its size?
91st 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 39 | Tcl T08WV9SB8000 BTU/hr | $70 |
| 38 | Tcl T08WV9S8000 BTU/hr | $70 |
| 37 | Tcl T08WV3S8000 BTU/hr | $70 |
| 36 | Midea MWEUWA-08CRFN8-BCP08000 BTU/hr | $70 |
| 35 | Midea MWAUQB-08CRFN8-BCP08000 BTU/hr | $70 |
Source
ES_1126578_W8WC72_11122025105736_80268948View certified room air conditioner listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Tcl and W8WC72 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.