Do dehumidifiers use a lot of electricity? To answer this let’s take as an example Frigidaire FFAP7033T1 (70 pints) that works at 745 watts/hour. If the current electricity cost is 12 cents per kilowatt-hour then the dehumidifier will run for 9 cents/hour. Running your dehumidifier for 10 hours a day then it will cost you 90 cents/day (10 hours * 9 cents) or about $330/year in electricity costs.
The cost will first depend on the model or make of the particular dehumidifier you are using.
The amount of electricity your dehumidifier uses will depend on your home’s actual levels of humidity.
In addition, your electricity rate also plays an important role in knowing how much your electricity bill will cause to run the dehumidifier.
Naturally, there are several things that can be done if you wish to lower your energy expenses.
First of all, you have to ensure that your chosen dehumidifier comes with an Energy Star certificate. It means that a certain unit uses less power compared to those without an Energy Star certificate.
Although it is true that a dehumidifier with no certificate is going to cost you less up front, you will pay the difference and more after some time through your utility bill.
A good way to have an idea of how much it will cost you to use your dehumidifier is to divide its wattage by 1,000. It will tell you how many hours or kilowatts it consumes. You will then multiply this with your rate per hour or kilowatt. You will then take this and multiply this by the number of hours your dehumidifier runs.
It will give you a good idea of how much it will cost you to run the unit. In case you cannot find the unit’s wattage on its label, you will want to take the amperage and voltage then multiply these together.
Having a dehumidifier in your home, on the other hand, will also help you save some money. Just consider how often you turn on your AC when the weather is hot.
If you are sweaty and hot, there are a lot of things that come into play aside from the room temperature, and one of these is relative humidity.
If you have a dehumidifier, it will keep down the humidity so that you don’t have to use your AC unit as often as you used to.
It will save you money since using a dehumidifier is more affordable than using an AC.
How to Lower the Costs of Running Your Dehumidifier
Although running your dehumidifier will not you cost your pocket that much, there are many things that can be done to lower the cost while still getting rid of the excess moisture from the air.
Below are a few tips you can try:
Use fans and open windows to circulate air
One of the best ways to save money when using a dehumidifier is to have fresh air circulate in damp places.
Among the major reasons why basements and other places get dank is because water vapor accumulates in them without any way to escape.
But, if you create some air flow and give it a way to get out, like through vents or windows, and using fans for air circulation, this can help reduce humidity problems.
Use calcium chloride
You can find substance calcium chloride in de-icer products. This is a salt crystal that can absorb air moisture.
Calcium chloride products are available in local home improvement or hardware stores. These products can serve as an alternative to your dehumidifier.
All you need to do is put the product inside a container in the damp room. This will then pull the moisture from the surrounding air, with the crystals turning into the brine.
This brine can be dumped down the toilet. Just remember that calcium chloride may be hazardous to consume to ensure that you keep this out of reach of children.
Opt for an energy-efficient dehumidifier
When you feel like you need to use a dehumidifier in your home, see to it that this is Energy Star preferred or approved.
Based on the information that can be found on the official website of Energy Star, a dehumidifier that has been approved by the agency will use 10 to 20 less energy to get rid of the same humidity amount from the air compared to a standard model.
It will help you save a minimum of $25 on your electricity’s annual cost.
Although you might be paying a bit more for a model approved by Energy Star, you can be sure that the savings you will enjoy will be more than worth the initial investment.
Reduce the running time of your dehumidifier
An important thing you have to remember is that dehumidifiers don’t often work well in temperatures of 65 degrees or lower.
Thus, it just makes perfect sense to only use this in rooms that have temperatures higher than this. In most places, you will usually just need to run a dehumidifier during months of summer.
This is particularly true if you are able to maintain the warmth in your basement during the winter season.
Warm air rises to the upper levels of your house so your basement is maintained at a fairly dry level.
Tips to Maintain Your Dehumidifier
Just like other appliances, your dehumidifier also needs some maintenance. It will not cost you that much since it doesn’t really need a lot of maintenance.
You just have to replace its air filter every now and then. But, these can last for several months up to one year.
The maintenance process that your dehumidifier needs is actually very simple.
You just have to remove the water from its collection bin, replace the hose, and perform a general cleaning once in a while.
In reality, a dehumidifier will not really cost you that much to maintain and run. You should still keep in mind that it will be beneficial to opt for a model that comes with a built-in humidistat.
Yes, it will be a bigger investment at the start but you will save more money in the long run.
A cheap dehumidifier is never a good option if you wish to save money.
