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Do Dehumidifiers Use a Lot of Electricity?
No, it doesn't cost much in a year. As an example, the AlorAir Storm SLGR 850X commercial dehumidifier operates at 115 volts/60 hertz, draws 5.9 amps, and operates 12 hours per day at a cost of about $1.22 per day, or about $445.88 per year.
Electricity costs for dehumidifiers depend on the type of air humidifier you are using. Not all dehumidifiers use the same amount of electricity. Portable dehumidifiers that are used in homes and small spaces consume significantly smaller amounts of electricity compared to ultra air dehumidifiers and entire home humidifiers.
How much power your unit uses depends on different factors. Let’s find out more about them and how you can manage your energy efficiently.
Do Dehumidifiers Use a Lot of Electricity, Really?
Small portable dehumidifiers use 300 watts of energy whereas the larger commercial grade dehumidifier uses up to 900W. A typical dehumidifier doesn’t use a lot of electricity. However, a dehumidifier can end up consuming a lot of power if you let it run for a long time.
Usually, It takes a long time to dehumidify homes with very high humidity levels and poor ventilation. In such cases, even small air dehumidifiers consume significant amounts of electricity.
High-wattage industrial dehumidifiers used for larger spaces consume more power and increase your electricity bill. That’s why you need to choose the best dehumidifiers
keeping in mind the size and humidity level of your room.
Don’t use the dehumidifier for basement to dehumidify your bedroom. Generally, basements cover larger areas you need a higher-wattage unit. Whereas, bedrooms are usually smaller in size. Therefore, even lower wattage small humidifier works fine.
Don’t know which type of air dehumidifier suits your home?
You can check the device specification when buying one. All manufacturers clearly mention the wattage in the specification and you can easily find it. In case, you can’t find the wattage on the packaging, you can contact the manufacturer or seller.
For example, Aloraircommercial Dehumidifiers come with a handy user manual that has everything you need to know about the product.
Remember, the fewer watts your dehumidifier uses, the more energy efficient it will be. So, the wattage is one of the factors you need to look for when buying a new air dehumidifier.
Another important factor you need to keep in mind is to get the right size unit for your room. You don’t need an ultra air dehumidifier with 900+ watts to dehumidify your bedroom. Probably 300W uint works best for this purpose.
That said, the efficiency of individual models of dehumidifiers matters too. Some models are much more energy-efficient than others. Energy-efficient air dehumidifiers remove a high amount of moisture from the air without consuming too much energy.
Therefore, you can save a significantly high amount on your electricity bills by purchasing a high energy-efficient air dehumidifier.
In a nutshell, keep in mind these factors when buying a dehumidifier:
- Environmental conditions
- Size of your room
- Dehumidier wattage
- Dehumidifier efficiency
How Much Electricity Does a Dehumidifier Use?
Calculating how much electricity your dehumidifier uses is easy.
Check the average electricity cost per watt on your electricity bill and the wattage of your dehumidifier mentioned on the package.
Assuming your commercial environment requires the Aloraircommercial Storm SLGR 850X to work, a commercial dehumidifier that operates at 115 volts/60 Hz and draws 5.9 amps for 12 hours, let's do the maths.
Firstly calculate the power consumption of the machine Power (W) = Voltage (V) × Current (A)
For AlorAir Storm SLGR 850X: Power = 115V * 5.9A = 678.5 watts or
0.6785 kW.
Calculating the cost per hour again, assuming the current electricity rate is 15 cents per kWh, the cost to run the dehumidifier for one hour would be 0.6785 kW * $0.15/kWh = $0.1018/hour or 10.18 cents/hour.
Then the cost to run the dehumidifier for 12 hours per day is 12 hours * $0.1018/hour = $1.2216/day or $1.22/day. In a year it would cost $1.2216/day * 365 number of days = $445.88/year.
Now you can easily predict how much electricity will your unit use and how much it will cost to run a dehumidifier. Roughly, it will cost you anywhere between $40 to $800 depending on the size and the environmental conditions of your space.
How to Make Your Dehumedifer More Energy-Efficient?
It’s not always easy to optimize the energy efficiency of air dehumidifiers. However, there are some steps you can take to make your unit more energy efficient.
Here are some things to do to save some money on your electricity bill
- Choose an energy-efficient dehumidifier
The first thing you should do is choose the best dehumidifier with the right model. The model you use determines the overall power usage.
So you need to choose the most energy-efficient model. This is the easiest way to get the best results without consuming too much power.
- Place your unit properly
Another important thing to do is to put your air dehumidifier in the right place. Many things cause humidity in your home. Try to find the biggest source of moisture in your room or house and place your unit near it. Doing so increases the efficiency of your air dehumidifier.
For example, you can use a dehumidifier for your basement if it is the biggest source of humidity in your home. Eliminating the major source of humidity helps adjust humidity levels in your home fast.
Where to place your unit depends on the environmental conditions of your home. Proper placement of your unit is key to making it more energy efficient. Otherwise, it will take a longer time to dehumidify, which will increase your electricity costs.
- Limit the airflow in your room
Dehumidifiers aren’t effective in areas where air can flow freely in and out. They work best in enclosed spaces.
To ensure more efficiency, you need to stop the outside air from entering your room freely.
- Clean your dehumidifier regularly
This step is extremely important as almost all electrical devices need proper and regular maintenance. No matter how energy-efficient they are. This includes your air condition, HVAC system as well as your air dehumidifier.
Cleaning a dehumidifier is a simple process. You need to clean it internally like cleaning the dehumidifier filter as well as the external parts. Don’t forget to empty the water tank every time you use your dehumidifier.
Related reading: How to Clean a Dehumidifier？
Conclusion
Dehumidifiers, especially those designed for small areas like portable humidifiers, don’t use a lot of electricity. You can even further reduce energy consumption by choosing the right model and using the unit properly.
Usually, an air dehumidifier should cost up to a few hundred dollars per year.
Keep in mind that even an ultra air dehumidifier won’t produce the desired results if you buy the best quality dehumidifier for your home, workspace, or any other enclosed spaces.
Want help finding the products to improve the air quality of your home? You can contact us anytime. At AlorairCommercial, we strive to offer the best experience for our visitors and customers.