There are various types of dehumidifiers out there and they range in various costs!
If you are in the market for a dehumidifier and you are not sure which one you’re going to get and you are worried about how much your electricity bill will be?
Don’t worry you have nothing to fear, we will detail to you everything you need to know about the pricing to run a dehumidifier so you can answer the question, how much does it cost to run a dehumidifier?
Figuring Out Cost Means doing the Math
In order for us to calculate the energy cost of a dehumidifier, we must first figure out how much power it uses.
To do that we need to figure out the wattage of that particular dehumidifier will utilize.
The next thing you need to know on hand is how many hours you will be using the dehumidifier for and what your cost is per kilowatt-hour.
According to the Bureau of Labor of Statistics, the average kWh in America is $0.143, so based on that assessment let’s round it down to a cost of 14 cents per kilowatt-hour.
$0.14 cents per hour will be multiplied by the number of hours used
So let us break things down further…
Averaging The Cost To Run A Dehumidifier
Dehumidifiers vary in the number of watts they use. To make life easier we will take one of the most popular dehumidifiers available on the market today. The Midea 1,500 Sq. Ft. Energy Star Certified Dehumidifier is our example dehumidifier unit.
This unit’s watt usage is recorded at 250 watts, larger dehumidifiers can work up to 500 watts plus. It is best to contact the manufacturer of your dehumidifier to figure out the wattage of your dehumidifier.
We now have to make the conversion from watts to kilowatts by dividing the watt usage / 1000.
Based on that formula if we are working on The Midea Dehumidifier the formula would look like this:
250/1000 = 0.25
$0.14 × 24 = 3.36 (the number of hours used)
Finally 3.36 X 0.25 = $0.84
So the average cost to run The Midea Dehumidifier was $0.84 cents per day.
Cost Calculation Formula
Still with me? Good…
Here is how we came upon the number of $0.84 cents per day:
1) Find Out the price of Kilo Watt Hour Price By Your Power Provider
2) Divide device watt usage by 1000 to figure out true usage
3) Multiply the provider price by the daily amount of usage.
4) take step #2 solution and multiply it with the solution of step #3
5) You have the final daily price to run your dehumidifier
So Do dehumidifiers use a lot of electricity?
In general, most dehumidifiers won’t use that much energy and it typically won’t cost you that much money.
In fact, if we work out the numbers the dehumidifier we based this analysis on would cost $153 per 6 month period if that dehumidifier was run for non-stop 24 hours straight with no breaks!
In reality your not going to be running a dehumidifier for 24 hours a day non stop more realistically you will be running it for around 10 hours a day. Now that we have the math sorted let’s work out the cost of running The Midea Dehumidifier for 10 hours a day for 6 months.
250Watts / 1000 = 0.25 Killowats
$0.14 Average kWh in America x 10 hours a day = $1.40
$1.40 (10 hours at $0.14 per hour) x 0.25 kilowatts = $0.35 per day.
$0.35 x 365 / 2 = $63.88
To give you some reference the average tv costs $47 to run per year so a dehumidifier requires a little less energy than the average television unit.
Benefits Vs Costs Analysis
For many people, a dehumidifier can be absolutely necessary! Dehumidifiers have been used for decades to deal with excess humidity inside homes and businesses.
They work by removing water vapor from inside the building using fans, cooling coils, or heat pumps.
Some are equipped with an electronic humidistat that detects changes in humidity levels and automatically switches on when needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
At the end of the day if a dehumidifier is going to make your life better it’s worth it to spend that extra $0.84 cents per day to make yourself live a more comfortable life!
If you are worried about the long-term costs try to get a more efficient dehumidifier that has a smart feature that will cycle through various levels of dehumidifying cutting your run time.
