Running cost for the TCL T18WQ2S
At 937.5 kWh/yr, the TCL T18WQ2S's ENERGY STAR certification puts it one of the more expensive models in its category to run against every other certified room air conditioner.
The $176 figure above uses the simple average of all 51 published state rates. Pick your state for the real number.
Where this ranks
That's 55.5% above the room air conditioner category average of 603 kWh/yr, and ranks 408 of 447 certified room air conditioners for annual running cost, 1 being cheapest. Every one of the 447 currently-certified room air conditioners feeds that average, putting this model about $63/year over it. See how it's calculated on the how it is calculated page.
The closest alternatives by cost
Sorted by running cost among room air conditioners, one step cheaper is TCL H18W4KW-CA ($176/yr, 937.5 kWh/yr), and one step pricier is Whirlpool WHAW-181IN ($176/yr, 937.5 kWh/yr).
Within the TCL lineup
TCL makes 59 ENERGY STAR certified room air conditioners; this one ranks 56 of 59 for running cost, between the brand's cheapest, the T05WV9M at $51/yr, and its priciest, the T24WQ2S at $266/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 TCL T18WQ2S that long and it costs about $1,763 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Is it worth replacing?
The TCL T18WQ2S 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 $176/year every year.
Compare current ENERGY STAR certified room air conditioners before buying.
Protecting what you have
At $176/year just to run, a room air conditioner is worth protecting against an unplanned repair bill on top of that.
The data behind this page
Nothing here is estimated from a nameplate wattage; the 937.5 kWh/yr is ENERGY STAR's own certified figure for this model. Ranked 408 of 447, the TCL T18WQ2S sits in the middle of the room air conditioner category, see the guide to why your state changes this number for the other half of the math.