Model
Whirlpool WHAW-081IN
Rank #51 means 50 of the 404 room air conditioner models we track cost less to run each year; the 85th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 85% of those models.
What does the Whirlpool WHAW-081IN cost to run per year?
Rank #51 of 404 puts the Whirlpool WHAW-081IN among the cheapest room air conditioner models we track to keep running, at roughly $74 a year. It uses 38% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $120/yr to run, a saving of roughly $46 a year. Few room air conditioner models we track beat it on size-adjusted efficiency; it edges out 85% of the class once capacity is normalized. 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 Tcl T08WQ2S at $74/yr runs a little cheaper and the Windmill 08W2Wi at $74/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 Whirlpool WHAW-081IN's $74/yr adds up to roughly $740 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Black+Decker BD08NWES.
By the numbers
The Whirlpool WHAW-081IN 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 $74/yr, here is what the Whirlpool WHAW-081IN adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Whirlpool WHAW-081IN costs about $740. That is roughly $460 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $1200 over the same ten years.
How the Whirlpool WHAW-081IN compares
The room air conditioner class we track runs from $51 to $389 a year. At $74/yr, it runs about $25 a year cheaper than the class median of $99, and it is about $23 a year more than the cheapest room air conditioner to run at $51. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $120/yr, the Whirlpool WHAW-081IN uses 38% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 8000 BTU/hr, the Whirlpool WHAW-081IN is a small room air conditioner for its class, which spans 5000 to 34100 BTU/hr with a median of 10100 BTU/hr, less capacity to service is usually the first reason a running-cost figure lands on the low side, before efficiency even enters the picture. 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 Whirlpool WHAW-081IN cheap to run?
Yes. Its $74/yr running cost puts it at rank #51 of 404, below what most room air conditioner models we track cost to run.
How much does the Whirlpool WHAW-081IN cost per month?
About $6.19 a month, which is the $74 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: 400 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $74 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Whirlpool WHAW-081IN for its size?
85th 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 103 | Tcl T08WQ2S8000 BTU/hr | $74 |
| 102 | Tcl H8W4MW8000 BTU/hr | $74 |
| 101 | Tcl H8W4KW-CA8000 BTU/hr | $74 |
| 100 | Tcl H8W4KW8000 BTU/hr | $74 |
| 99 | Rovsun TIWC-08CRD18000 BTU/hr | $74 |
Source
ES_1055302_WHAW-081IN_07232024104052_80200121View certified room air conditioner listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Whirlpool and WHAW-081IN 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.