SolarCostData.com
Home › Cost to run › Window AC in Iowa

How Much to Run a Window AC in Iowa? $0.18/Hr, $45/Summer

Running window air conditioner in Iowa costs about $0.18 an hour and roughly $45 for the summer — 1,100 W for 2.8 hours a day at 15.99¢/kWh.

$0.18per hour
$45per summer, 92 days
748cooling degree-days, NOAA

· Source: EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A (July 2026 data) · next EIA update ~Oct 23

On this page: CalculatorTableHow we calculatedSources

Jump to calculator ↓
Season cost: —
Per hour: —
Per day: —
Energy for the season: —
Window air conditioner in Iowa: watts ÷ 1,000 × hours × days × rate. Estimate, not a quote.
What changes if…

Slider nudges the Iowa rate; the URL keeps it.

Per hour
$0.18 at 15.99¢/kWh
Per summer
$45 (92 days)
Hours per day
2.8 (NOAA state cooling degree-days-scaled)
Degree-days used
748 (NOAA CPC state, population-weighted)
Wattage
1,100 W (typical 500–1,500)
Iowa rate
15.99¢ (July 2026)
Rank of 20 cold states
7 (7th most expensive)

Why this number

Running window air conditioner in Iowa costs about $0.18 an hour and roughly $45 for the summer — a 1,100 W unit for 2.8 hours a day over 92 days (June–August) at Iowa’s July 2026 average of 15.99¢/kWh. The hours are the national 3.6 h/day baseline scaled by NOAA CPC state population-weighted CDD, June–August 2026 (748 vs the CONUS 958); your utility’s rate moves it (table below), and the calculator takes your own wattage, hours and rate.

Iowa runs window air conditioner less than the national baseline in June–August — 2.8 hours a day on the NOAA state degree-day scaling used here, against 3.6 nationally — and pays 15.99¢/kWh for it. Those two numbers, times 1,100 W, are the whole $45.

Window air conditioner cost in Iowa by hours per day — per day / per summer

Window air conditioner cost per day and per summer in Iowa at 1 to 12 hours a day, at the state average rate and its largest utilities' EIA-861 prices
Hours per day Iowa avg 15.99¢ MidAmerican Energy Co 11.0¢ Interstate Power and L 17.9¢ Adjustment 2024 13.0¢
1 h $0.18 / $16 $0.12 / $11 $0.20 / $18 $0.14 / $13
2 h $0.35 / $32 $0.24 / $22 $0.39 / $36 $0.29 / $26
4 h $0.70 / $65 $0.48 / $45 $0.79 / $72 $0.57 / $53
6 h $1.06 / $97 $0.73 / $67 $1.18 / $109 $0.86 / $79
8 h $1.41 / $129 $0.97 / $89 $1.58 / $145 $1.14 / $105
12 h $2.11 / $194 $1.45 / $134 $2.36 / $217 $1.72 / $158

What Iowa’s utilities charge for it

Iowa's largest electric utilities and what window air conditioner costs per hour and per summer at each one's average price
Utility Residential customers ¢/kWh (EIA-861 2024) Per hour Per summer at 2.8 h/day
MidAmerican Energy Co 632,436 11.0¢ $0.12 $31
Interstate Power and Light Co 417,153 17.9¢ $0.20 $51
Adjustment 2024 205,531 13.0¢ $0.14 $37

What the numbers say about window air conditioner in Iowa

Iowa logged 748 population-weighted cooling degree-days over June–August (NOAA CPC state series), 78% of the CONUS figure of 958, which is why this page runs window air conditioner 2.8 hours a day against the national 3.6 — 0.8 hours less. At Iowa’s July 2026 rate of 15.99¢/kWh that makes it the 7th most expensive of the 20 cold states for window air conditioner: $45 for the 92-day summer, against Montana’s $14 and Alaska’s $68. MidAmerican Energy Co, Iowa’s largest utility with 632,436 residential customers, averages 11.0¢ — $31 for the same hours — while Adjustment 2024 at 13.0¢ comes to $37, a $6 spread on identical use. Iowa’s July 2026 rate of 15.99¢ sets the $0.18 per hour; its winter average of 13.1¢ is 2.89¢ lower, a difference that matters for heating loads but not for window air conditioner use in June–August.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to run window air conditioner per hour in Iowa?

$0.18 an hour for a 1,100 W unit at Iowa’s July 2026 average of 15.99¢/kWh (1,100 ÷ 1,000 × 0.1599); at MidAmerican Energy Co’s 11.0¢ it is $0.12.

How much does window air conditioner cost for the whole summer in Iowa?

About $45: 1,100 W × 2.8 hours a day × 92 days (June–August) × 15.99¢. The hours are the national 3.6 h/day scaled by NOAA CPC state population-weighted CDD, June–August 2026 (748 against the CONUS 958); enter your own hours above for your own figure.

Is window air conditioner expensive to run in Iowa compared with other cold states?

Iowa is the 7th most expensive of the 20 cold states on this site at $45 a summer; the range runs from Montana ($14) to Alaska ($68), driven almost entirely by the electricity rate.

How we calculated this

Worked for window air conditioner in Iowa: 1,100 W ÷ 1,000 × 0.1599 $/kWh = $0.18 per hour; hours per day = 3.6 × (748 ÷ 958) = 2.8; 1,100 ÷ 1,000 × 2.8 × 92 × 0.1599 = $45 for the summer. Rate: EIA Electric Power Monthly 5.6.A (July 2026); degree-days: NOAA CPC state population-weighted CDD, June–August 2026, against the CONUS total; utility prices: EIA-861 2024.

Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) electricity rates · DSIRE incentive records · public IRS/OBBBA guidance. Figures are modeled estimates, not quotes or tax advice. See our methodology.

Where to go next