Running cost for the Friedrich WCVT16B30A
ENERGY STAR certifies the Friedrich WCVT16B30A at 1,000 kWh/yr, one of the more expensive models in its category to run for its category.
The $188 figure above uses the simple average of all 51 published state rates. Pick your state for the real number.
Friedrich WCVT16B30A against the category
That's 65.8% above the room air conditioner category average of 603 kWh/yr, and ranks 412 of 447 certified room air conditioners for annual running cost, 1 being cheapest. The category average comes from every room air conditioner ENERGY STAR currently certifies (447 models), not an outside benchmark, about $75/year above that average at the national rate. See the methodology page.
What sits beside it in the ranking
K�hl KCVM18B30B ($202/yr, 1,073.6 kWh/yr) costs a little more to run than the Friedrich WCVT16B30A. Friedrich KCVM18B30A ($187/yr, 994.8 kWh/yr) costs a little less.
Same brand, different models
Friedrich makes 28 ENERGY STAR certified room air conditioners; this one ranks 22 of 28 for running cost, between the brand's cheapest, the CCV08A10A at $75/yr, and its priciest, the KCVL36B30A at $394/yr.
What this adds up to over time
NAHB's Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components puts a typical room air conditioner's service life at 10 years; run the Friedrich WCVT16B30A that long and it costs about $1,880 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Shopping for a new one
At $188/year, this is on the expensive side for a room air conditioner; the cheapest certified model in this category runs about $49/year, worth knowing before buying either the Friedrich WCVT16B30A or its replacement.
Compare current ENERGY STAR certified room air conditioners before buying.
Protecting what you have
Whether or not the Friedrich WCVT16B30A ever needs replacing, a repair is the more common failure for a room air conditioner, one a protection plan budgets for ahead of time.
Sourcing
Nothing here is estimated from a nameplate wattage; the 1,000 kWh/yr is ENERGY STAR's own certified figure for this model. At rank 412 of 447 for running cost, see the room air conditioner category page for the rest of the field, or the guide to how much your state matters.