Model
Tcl T15WQ2S
Rank #345 means 344 of the 404 room air conditioner models we track cost less to run each year; the 17th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 17% of those models.
What does the Tcl T15WQ2S cost to run per year?
The Tcl T15WQ2S costs about $145 a year to run, well up the cost table for its class at rank #345 of 404. It uses 35% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $223/yr to run, a saving of roughly $78 a year. Efficiency-wise, once size is accounted for, it lags most of the class, ahead of only 17% of the models we track. The CEER figure of 14.4 on this model captures combined energy efficiency ratio, the main efficiency lever ENERGY STAR tracks for this class.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Tcl H15W4KW-CA at $145/yr runs a little cheaper and the Whirlpool WHAW-151IN at $145/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 T15WQ2S's $145/yr adds up to roughly $1450 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Friedrich CCV15A10A.
By the numbers
The Tcl T15WQ2S 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 $145/yr, here is what the Tcl T15WQ2S 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 T15WQ2S costs about $1450. That is roughly $780 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $2230 over the same ten years.
How the Tcl T15WQ2S compares
The room air conditioner class we track runs from $51 to $389 a year. At $145/yr, it runs about $46 a year above the class median of $99, and it is about $94 a year more than the cheapest room air conditioner to run at $51. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $223/yr, the Tcl T15WQ2S uses 35% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 15000 BTU/hr, the Tcl T15WQ2S is a large room air conditioner for its class, which spans 5000 to 34100 BTU/hr with a median of 10100 BTU/hr, among room air conditioner models, bigger capacity is the most common reason a running-cost figure lands on the high side, all else being equal. Its CEER of 14.4, below the class median of 15, reflects combined energy efficiency ratio: a higher figure means it wrings more useful work out of every kilowatt-hour, so it is the efficiency lever to weigh against raw size.
- 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 T15WQ2S cheap to run?
Its $145/yr running cost, rank #345 of 404, is above what most room air conditioner models we track cost to run, so this is not one of the cheaper picks on electricity alone.
How much does the Tcl T15WQ2S cost per month?
About $12.08 a month, which is the $145 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: 781 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $145 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Tcl T15WQ2S for its size?
17th percentile once size is factored in. That means its size-adjusted efficiency is not the main reason for the running-cost figure above; its capacity plays a large role too.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 347 | Tcl H15W4KW-CA15000 BTU/hr | $145 |
| 346 | Tcl H15W4KW15000 BTU/hr | $145 |
| 345 | Friedrich CCV15A10A15000 BTU/hr | $145 |
| 344 | Friedrich WCVT12B10A13500 BTU/hr | $142 |
| 343 | Seasons ST14VA214000 BTU/hr | $140 |
Source
ES_1126578_T15WQ2S_08212025130747_80267014View certified room air conditioner listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Tcl and T15WQ2S 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.