Model
Tcl W5WC72M-B
Rank #5 means 4 of the 404 room air conditioner models we track cost less to run each year; the 97th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 97% of those models.
What does the Tcl W5WC72M-B cost to run per year?
Do the math and the Tcl W5WC72M-B's $51/yr running cost puts it at rank #5 of 404, among the least expensive room air conditioner models we track to keep running. It uses 25% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $68/yr to run, a saving of roughly $17 a year. Its size-adjusted efficiency percentile of 97 means the low running cost is not just a function of size; almost nothing in the class beats it on efficiency once capacity is accounted for. At a CEER of 13.7, 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 W5WC72M at $51/yr runs a little cheaper and the Lg LW6023IVSM at $54/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 W5WC72M-B's $51/yr adds up to roughly $510 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Tcl W5WC72.
By the numbers
The Tcl W5WC72M-B 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 $51/yr, here is what the Tcl W5WC72M-B 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 W5WC72M-B costs about $510. That is roughly $170 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $680 over the same ten years.
How the Tcl W5WC72M-B compares
The room air conditioner class we track runs from $51 to $389 a year. At $51/yr, it runs about $48 a year cheaper than the class median of $99, and it is the cheapest room air conditioner to run in the class among the models we track. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $68/yr, the Tcl W5WC72M-B uses 25% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 5000 BTU/hr, the Tcl W5WC72M-B is a small room air conditioner for its class, which spans 5000 to 34100 BTU/hr with a median of 10100 BTU/hr, less capacity to service is usually the first reason a running-cost figure lands on the low side, before efficiency even enters the picture. The CEER of 13.7 on this model, below 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 W5WC72M-B cheap to run?
Yes. Its $51/yr running cost puts it at rank #5 of 404, below what most room air conditioner models we track cost to run.
How much does the Tcl W5WC72M-B cost per month?
About $4.23 a month, which is the $51 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: 274 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $51 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Tcl W5WC72M-B for its size?
97th percentile once size is factored in. That means its size-adjusted efficiency is a real factor in the running-cost figure above; its capacity plays a large role too.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Tcl W5WC72M5000 BTU/hr | $51 |
| 6 | Tcl W5WC72-B5000 BTU/hr | $51 |
| 5 | Tcl W5WC725000 BTU/hr | $51 |
| 4 | Tcl T05WV9RB5000 BTU/hr | $51 |
| 3 | Tcl T05WV9R5000 BTU/hr | $51 |
Source
ES_1126578_W5WC72M-B_11122025105736_80268586View certified room air conditioner listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Tcl and W5WC72M-B 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.