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How much does it cost to run a window air conditioner?
At the U.S. average residential price of 18.31¢ per kilowatt-hour (July 2026), running a window air conditioner costs about $127 a year. Your own bill depends on your state's rate, which ranges from 12.72¢ to 48.00¢ across the country.
- Per hour
- 13.2¢
- Per day of use
- $1.05
- Per month
- $10.55
- Per year
- $127
Assumption: 900 W at a 80% duty cycle, 8 hours a day, 120 days a year — 691 kWh a year. Typical of a 10,000 BTU window unit. Small 5,000 BTU units draw closer to 500 W; 15,000 BTU units closer to 1,400 W.
Cost by state
Same appliance, same usage, 51 different prices. Sorted cheapest first.
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 12.72¢ | $7.33 | $87.92 |
| Nevada | 12.77¢ | $7.36 | $88.27 |
| Utah | 13.12¢ | $7.56 | $90.69 |
| North Dakota | 13.41¢ | $7.72 | $92.69 |
| Tennessee | 13.71¢ | $7.90 | $94.76 |
| Idaho | 13.73¢ | $7.91 | $94.90 |
| Nebraska | 13.78¢ | $7.94 | $95.25 |
| Kentucky | 13.81¢ | $7.95 | $95.45 |
| Arkansas | 14.33¢ | $8.25 | $99.05 |
| Oklahoma | 14.35¢ | $8.27 | $99.19 |
| Wyoming | 14.36¢ | $8.27 | $99.26 |
| Mississippi | 14.54¢ | $8.38 | $101 |
| Washington | 14.71¢ | $8.47 | $102 |
| Montana | 14.99¢ | $8.63 | $104 |
| Florida | 15.03¢ | $8.66 | $104 |
| North Carolina | 15.16¢ | $8.73 | $105 |
| Kansas | 15.27¢ | $8.80 | $106 |
| South Dakota | 15.37¢ | $8.85 | $106 |
| Arizona | 15.38¢ | $8.86 | $106 |
| South Carolina | 15.47¢ | $8.91 | $107 |
| West Virginia | 15.78¢ | $9.09 | $109 |
| Texas | 15.88¢ | $9.15 | $110 |
| Oregon | 15.97¢ | $9.20 | $110 |
| Iowa | 15.99¢ | $9.21 | $111 |
| Missouri | 16.09¢ | $9.27 | $111 |
| New Mexico | 16.09¢ | $9.27 | $111 |
| Georgia | 16.27¢ | $9.37 | $112 |
| Alabama | 16.40¢ | $9.45 | $113 |
| Indiana | 16.73¢ | $9.64 | $116 |
| Colorado | 17.00¢ | $9.79 | $118 |
| Minnesota | 17.45¢ | $10.05 | $121 |
| Virginia | 17.55¢ | $10.11 | $121 |
| Delaware | 18.48¢ | $10.64 | $128 |
| Wisconsin | 19.06¢ | $10.98 | $132 |
| Illinois | 19.22¢ | $11.07 | $133 |
| Ohio | 19.45¢ | $11.20 | $134 |
| Maryland | 21.41¢ | $12.33 | $148 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.72¢ | $12.51 | $150 |
| Michigan | 23.05¢ | $13.28 | $159 |
| Vermont | 23.75¢ | $13.68 | $164 |
| Connecticut | 24.16¢ | $13.92 | $167 |
| New Jersey | 25.19¢ | $14.51 | $174 |
| District of Columbia | 25.21¢ | $14.52 | $174 |
| New Hampshire | 26.60¢ | $15.32 | $184 |
| Rhode Island | 28.29¢ | $16.30 | $196 |
| Alaska | 28.83¢ | $16.61 | $199 |
| New York | 29.90¢ | $17.22 | $207 |
| Massachusetts | 30.49¢ | $17.56 | $211 |
| Maine | 32.41¢ | $18.67 | $224 |
| California | 33.61¢ | $19.36 | $232 |
| Hawaii | 48.00¢ | $27.65 | $332 |
Cutting the number down
- Sealing the gaps around the sleeve with foam matters more than the unit's efficiency rating. Warm air leaking back in is load you pay to remove twice.
- An inverter model modulates instead of slamming on and off, which shows up as a lower effective duty cycle rather than a lower nameplate watt.
- Shading the outdoor half of the unit lowers the temperature it rejects heat into, which lowers the work it has to do.
Questions
- How many watts does a window air conditioner use?
- About 900 W while running, though it cycles on and off, so average draw is 720 W.
- How much does a window air conditioner cost per month?
- About $10.55 a month at the U.S. average rate, or $127 a year.
- Where is it cheapest to run?
- Louisiana, at $87.92 a year, versus $332 in Hawaii — a spread of $244.