Model
Insignia NS-AC12WWH5-C
Rank #231 means 230 of the 404 room air conditioner models we track cost less to run each year; the 43rd efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 43% of those models.
What does the Insignia NS-AC12WWH5-C cost to run per year?
The Insignia NS-AC12WWH5-C holds rank #231 of 404 on running cost, at about $111 a year, an unremarkable but typical figure for the class. It uses 38% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $180/yr to run, a saving of roughly $69 a year. Its size-adjusted efficiency percentile of 43 lands in the middle of the pack once capacity is accounted for. At a CEER of 15, its combined energy efficiency ratio is the single figure that best explains how it earns its running-cost number.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Hykolity ACB-2623 at $111/yr runs a little cheaper and the Keplerx KARC12RSVE1 at $111/yr runs a little more, a sense of how tightly models are packed at this point in the ranking. A room air conditioner typically stays in service for somewhere around 10 years; over that span, the Insignia NS-AC12WWH5-C's $111/yr adds up to roughly $1110 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Black+Decker BD12NWES.
By the numbers
The Insignia NS-AC12WWH5-C normalized against its whole class, so each figure means something.
What it costs you over time
Running cost is an every-year number, so it compounds. At $111/yr, here is what the Insignia NS-AC12WWH5-C adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Insignia NS-AC12WWH5-C costs about $1110. That is roughly $690 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $1800 over the same ten years.
How the Insignia NS-AC12WWH5-C compares
The room air conditioner class we track runs from $51 to $389 a year. At $111/yr, it runs about $12 a year above the class median of $99, and it is about $60 a year more than the cheapest room air conditioner to run at $51. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $180/yr, the Insignia NS-AC12WWH5-C uses 38% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 12000 BTU/hr, the Insignia NS-AC12WWH5-C is a mid-size room air conditioner for its class, which spans 5000 to 34100 BTU/hr with a median of 10100 BTU/hr, right in the middle of the capacity range, so capacity is roughly a wash compared with the rest of the class. The CEER of 15 on this model, above the class median of 15, measures combined energy efficiency ratio; it is the number to compare directly against another model's CEER if capacity is similar.
- Combined Energy Efficiency Ratio (CEER). Two units with the same BTU rating can post very different running costs, and CEER is the figure that explains most of that gap.
- BTU cooling capacity. BTU rating scales with room size, and it is usually the first driver of an air conditioner's running cost, ahead of its CEER figure.
- Thermostat and mode usage. How the unit is actually operated, thermostat cycling versus a fixed setting, moves real electricity use more than the rated BTU or CEER figure alone.
Common questions
Is the Insignia NS-AC12WWH5-C cheap to run?
Roughly, yes. Its $111/yr figure is close to the class median, ranking #231 of 404, neither a bargain nor a splurge on running cost.
How much does the Insignia NS-AC12WWH5-C cost per month?
About $9.28 a month, which is the $111 annual estimate spread across twelve months at the US average rate of $0.1856/kWh. Your own bill scales with your local electricity rate and how heavily you use it.
How is this running-cost figure calculated?
The formula is annual kWh times price per kWh: 600 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $111 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Insignia NS-AC12WWH5-C for its size?
43rd percentile once size is factored in, a fairly typical result for the class.
Cheaper to run in the same class
Source
ES_1059185_NS-AC12WWH5-C_122220231037728_3631320View certified room air conditioner listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Insignia and NS-AC12WWH5-C are used here for identification only and are not endorsements. Figures are computed by WattWise Labs from public ENERGY STAR data, not measured in our own lab.