TCL T08WV3S: running cost
The TCL T08WV3S is certified by ENERGY STAR at 375 kWh a year, one of the cheaper models in its category to run among room air conditioners currently certified.
That $71 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
Against the category average of 603 kWh/yr, this model uses 37.8% less, ranking 45 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 $43/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 T08WV3S: Midea MWFUWA-08CRFN8-BCP0 ($71/yr, 375 kWh/yr), then TCL T08WV9S ($71/yr, 375 kWh/yr).
Same brand, different models
Ranked 17 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
10 years is NAHB's typical service life for this category; at $71/year, the TCL T08WV3S adds up to about $705 in electricity over that span.
Weighing a replacement
Efficient as certified room air conditioners go, $71/year is a reasonable baseline if you're comparing what else is on the market.
Worth comparing a few current certified models before deciding.
If you're keeping it
$71/year to run is the predictable cost of the TCL T08WV3S; a protection plan covers the unpredictable one, a repair bill.
Where this number comes from
Two sourced numbers, nothing modeled: ENERGY STAR's certified kWh/yr for this exact model, and EIA's published state electricity rate. The full Room Air Conditioner category page shows all 447 room air conditioners ranked by cost; the state-rate guide covers the half of this number that isn't the appliance.