12,000 BTU window air conditioners
The size for a room of about 600 sq ft — every certified unit at this capacity, ranked, with what each one costs to buy and how loud it is.
Data current as of July 12, 2026 · 91 certified units · source AHRI + ENERGY STAR
What actually decides it at this size
We have a price for 70 of these units. They span $350 to $1,348 to buy, median $490 — while the gap between the cheapest and dearest to run is $22 a year. The price gap is about 46× larger. Quietest settings, where the maker publishes one, run 32–45 dBA across 12 of them. So at this size the decision is price and noise. Efficiency is the tiebreak, and the table below ranks on it.
CEER is the DOE room-AC efficiency rating. It decides the running cost — which, at a fixed size, is the smallest of the three numbers that matter here.
The 20 highest-CEER of 91 certified units · 19 with a verified place to buy
| Brand & model | CEER | Room size | Quietest | Price | To run | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kühl KCVS12B10B | 16.2 | ~615 sq ft | not published | not tracked | $107/yr | Get quotes |
| Midea MAW12V1WBK | 16.0 | ~600 sq ft | not published | $420 | $106/yr | Buy |
| Midea MAW12V1WBK-T | 16.0 | ~600 sq ft | not published | $420 | $106/yr | Buy |
| Midea MAW12V1WWT | 16.0 | ~600 sq ft | not published | $420 | $106/yr | Buy |
| Midea MAW12V1WWT-T | 16.0 | ~600 sq ft | not published | $420 | $106/yr | Buy |
| Midea MWEUWA-12CRFN8-BCP0 | 16.0 | ~600 sq ft | not published | $420 | $106/yr | Buy |
| TCL T12WV4S | 16.0 | ~600 sq ft | not published | $350 | $106/yr | Buy |
| TCL T12WV9S | 16.0 | ~600 sq ft | not published | $490 | $106/yr | Buy |
| TCL T12WV9SB | 16.0 | ~600 sq ft | not published | $350 | $106/yr | Buy |
| TCL W12WC72 | 16.0 | ~600 sq ft | not published | $350 | $106/yr | Buy |
| TCL W12WC72-B | 16.0 | ~600 sq ft | not published | $490 | $106/yr | Buy |
| GE Profile AHTR12ACH2 | 15.4 | ~610 sq ft | not published | $499 | $112/yr | Buy |
| Midea 1010451379 | 15.2 | ~600 sq ft | 32 dBA | $420 | $111/yr | Buy |
| Midea 1014278205 | 15.2 | ~600 sq ft | not published | $420 | $111/yr | Buy |
| Midea MAW12U1QWT | 15.2 | ~600 sq ft | 32 dBA | $420 | $111/yr | Buy |
| Midea MAW12U2QWT | 15.2 | ~600 sq ft | 32 dBA | $420 | $111/yr | Buy |
| Midea MWAUQB-12CRFN8-BCN12 | 15.2 | ~600 sq ft | not published | $510 | $111/yr | Buy |
| TCL H12W4KWH | 15.2 | ~600 sq ft | not published | $350 | $111/yr | Buy |
| TCL H12W4KWH-CA | 15.2 | ~600 sq ft | not published | $490 | $111/yr | Buy |
| TCL KCR-35/YXRDBp(E1/6)(080002) | 15.2 | ~600 sq ft | not published | $350 | $111/yr | Buy |
Showing the top 20 by CEER. All 91 certified units in this group are filterable in the full database — we rank here rather than dump, because a table nobody can read is not a resource.
Capacity and efficiency are AHRI-certified values; $/MMBtu is computed by us from EIA energy prices — see methodology. Heat at 5°F is the number that decides whether a heat pump keeps up in real cold, and most listings omit it.