Running cost for the TCL H15W4KW
ENERGY STAR certifies the TCL H15W4KW at 781.3 kWh/yr, one of the more expensive models in its category to run for its category.
That $147 is priced at 18.8¢/kWh, the average of all 51 state rates this site tracks. Your own state's rate is one click away.
Efficient, or not, for a room air conditioner
The category average is 603 kWh/yr; this model runs 29.6% above it, ranking 384 of 447 room air conditioners tracked here for running cost. That average is drawn from all 447 room air conditioners ENERGY STAR currently certifies, not an outside number, a $34/year gap from this model at the national rate. Full sourcing is in the sourcing notes.
Right next to it on the list
A rank or two either side of the TCL H15W4KW: Friedrich CCV15A10A ($147/yr, 781.3 kWh/yr), then TCL H15W4KW-CA ($147/yr, 781.3 kWh/yr).
Within the TCL lineup
Ranked 51 of TCL's 59 certified room air conditioners, this sits between the T05WV9M ($51/yr, the brand's cheapest) and the T24WQ2S ($266/yr, its priciest).
Cost over its typical lifespan
NAHB's Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components puts a typical room air conditioner's service life at 10 years; run the TCL H15W4KW that long and it costs about $1,469 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Shopping for a new one
The TCL H15W4KW runs above its category average. If the room air conditioner you actually own is older still, likely well past ENERGY STAR's efficiency baseline when it was made, a current certified model could cost meaningfully less than this model's $147/year every year.
Worth comparing a few current certified models before deciding.
If you're keeping it
A room air conditioner like the TCL H15W4KW is a real household expense whether or not it needs replacing yet; a protection plan is one way to budget for a repair rather than a full replacement.
Where this number comes from
At rank 384 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. The 781.3 kWh/yr figure is ENERGY STAR's own certification, not a wattage estimate; exact dataset IDs are on the data sources page.