Model
Tcl H12W4KWH-CA
Rank #221 means 220 of the 404 room air conditioner models we track cost less to run each year; the 46th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 46% of those models.
What does the Tcl H12W4KWH-CA cost to run per year?
Among the 404 room air conditioner models we track, the Tcl H12W4KWH-CA's $110/yr running cost ranks it #221, close to dead center. It uses 39% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $180/yr to run, a saving of roughly $70 a year. Efficiency-wise, once size is accounted for, it sits right around the class median, ahead of 46% of the models we track. At a CEER of 15.2, 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 Tcl H12W4KWH at $110/yr runs a little cheaper and the Tcl KCR-35/YXRDBp(E1/6)(080002) at $110/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 Tcl H12W4KWH-CA's $110/yr adds up to roughly $1100 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Midea 1010451379.
By the numbers
The Tcl H12W4KWH-CA 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 $110/yr, here is what the Tcl H12W4KWH-CA adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Tcl H12W4KWH-CA costs about $1100. That is roughly $700 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $1800 over the same ten years.
How the Tcl H12W4KWH-CA compares
The room air conditioner class we track runs from $51 to $389 a year. At $110/yr, it runs about $11 a year above the class median of $99, and it is about $59 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 Tcl H12W4KWH-CA uses 39% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 12000 BTU/hr, the Tcl H12W4KWH-CA is a mid-size room air conditioner for its class, which spans 5000 to 34100 BTU/hr with a median of 10100 BTU/hr, putting it squarely in the middle of the class on the size lever that drives most of the cost. The CEER of 15.2 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 Tcl H12W4KWH-CA cheap to run?
Roughly, yes. Its $110/yr figure is close to the class median, ranking #221 of 404, neither a bargain nor a splurge on running cost.
How much does the Tcl H12W4KWH-CA cost per month?
About $9.16 a month, which is the $110 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: 592 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $110 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Tcl H12W4KWH-CA for its size?
46th percentile once size is factored in, a fairly typical result for the class.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 226 | Tcl H12W4KWH12000 BTU/hr | $110 |
| 225 | Midea MWAUQB-12CRFN8-BCN1212000 BTU/hr | $110 |
| 224 | Midea MAW12U2QWT12000 BTU/hr | $110 |
| 223 | Midea MAW12U1QWT12000 BTU/hr | $110 |
| 222 | Midea 101427820512000 BTU/hr | $110 |
Source
ES_1126578_H12W4KWH-CA_07302025121421_80239506View certified room air conditioner listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Tcl and H12W4KWH-CA 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.