Data through April 2026
Ranking · computed from certified data
The Cheapest Room Air Conditioners to Run
Certified room ACs ranked by lowest annual energy use on the standard 750-hour season.
The spread inside this top 20: 274–329 kWh/yr, or $52–$62 a year at the U.S. average rate. Ties are ordered alphabetically.
| # | Model | Type | kWh/yr | $/yr (US avg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TCL T05WV9M | — | 274 | $52 |
| 2 | TCL T05WV9MB | — | 274 | $52 |
| 3 | TCL T05WV9R | — | 274 | $52 |
| 4 | TCL T05WV9RB | — | 274 | $52 |
| 5 | TCL W5WC72 | — | 274 | $52 |
| 6 | TCL W5WC72-B | — | 274 | $52 |
| 7 | TCL W5WC72M | — | 274 | $52 |
| 8 | TCL W5WC72M-B | — | 274 | $52 |
| 9 | LG LW6023IVSMmost efficient | — | 290 | $55 |
| 10 | Midea MAW06U1QWTmost efficient | — | 298 | $56 |
| 11 | Midea MAW06V1QWBL-Tmost efficient | — | 298 | $56 |
| 12 | Midea MAW06V1QWTmost efficient | — | 298 | $56 |
| 13 | Midea MAW06V1UBLmost efficient | — | 298 | $56 |
| 14 | Midea MAW06V1UWTmost efficient | — | 298 | $56 |
| 15 | Midea MWAUQB-06CRFN8-BCN11most efficient | — | 298 | $56 |
| 16 | Hisense WCT06W25A | — | 329 | $62 |
| 17 | Midea MWEUWA-06CRFN8-BCM7 | — | 329 | $62 |
| 18 | TCL H6W4KW | — | 329 | $62 |
| 19 | TCL T06WQ2S | — | 329 | $62 |
| 20 | TCL T06WV9R | — | 329 | $62 |
How this list is built: every entry comes straight from the ENERGY STAR certified-product dataset for room air conditioners (396 models), ordered by certified annual kWh. The certified annual kWh assumes 750 cooling hours per year (the DOE standard). In hot climates real usage can run well above that; in mild ones, below.