Air purifiers run on electricity. Just like any other electrical appliance, it is important to take the power consumption of air purifiers into detail.
Wondering if air purifiers use lots of electricity? In this article, I’ll be talking about the amount of electricity air purifiers consume and how to calculate the electricity consumption for your air purifier.
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Do Air Purifiers Use A Lot Of Electricity?
Air purifiers do not consume much electricity. They have an ultimate wattage of anywhere between 40 watts and 200 watts. Even some of the biggest air purifiers are at about 100 watts for the largest tempo setting. An air purifier can still function effectively on a lower 10 watt – 30 watt setting.
For better understanding, let me compare the amount of energy an air purifier consumes to that of an iPhone charge, which is about four times lesser than the energy of a small fridge.
It is advisable to run an air purifier 24 hours non-stop daily. This might appear to be a lot, if you imagine how much you would be spending on electricity.
But most purifiers that function on an all time speed spend anywhere from $0.35 to about $6, and that’s on a weekly basis.
How To Calculate Your Air Purifier Electricity
Calculating the electricity of your air purifier is not a herculean task. First, you need to calculate the total daily wattage consumption. For example, if your air purifier runs 24 hours daily on 70 watts, you’ll multiply 24 x 70 = 1,680 watts.
Next, convert the watts so that it is measured in electricity. That is 1,680/1000 = 1.680 kilowatts. Continue to calculate the monthly usage by multiplying where applicable. For example, there are thirty days in a month on average. 1.680 kWh x 30 = 50.4 kWh per month.
Finally, take your local electricity rate into consideration and multiply the figures again. That is 50.4 kWh x 0.15 = $7.56 per month.
Using this calculation, it means your electricity bill would be about eight dollars of monthly operations if you run your air purifier 24 hours daily on a monthly basis.
How To Save Electricity While Using An Air Purifier
Not all air purifiers consume energy the same way. Some consume more energy than the others. Lots of other factors matter too such as the hours of usage. Here are a few ways to save electricity while using an air purifier.
Consider Opting For A Battery-Powered Air Purifier
Battery-powered air purifiers are also one of the duly considered air purifiers available on the market. They are very convenient and versatile and offer a range of benefits too.
Most of the battery-powered air purifiers make use of a modest ion generator, though effective. These release negative ions that react with pollutants or contaminants. Upon reaction, these contaminants gain weight and drop down.
Air purifiers such as the Levoit Air Purifier For Home, is a battery powered air purifier that also comes with a filter and a fan set up. The only downside is that you need to wash the fan more frequently than you would do that of a traditional air purifier.
They also feature an ozone generator. Although, users are skeptical on the impact of ozone on their health.Battery-powered air purifiers would surely save you lots of energy and electricity consumed.
Use A Purifier With A Low Energy Rating
The energy rating of the air purifier is a major factor that determines the amount of electricity your purifier consumes per time, alongside the electricity charge or bills.
Ensure you do not always go for an air purifier that has a high energy rating especially if you’re going to make use of it in a close up ventilated area. This will help you save lots of electricity.
The higher the watt of your air purifier is, the higher the electricity it will consume.
Check The Filter
Various air purifiers make use of various filter types, depending on the preference of the manufacturer, and the reason behind manufacturing for that distinct model.
Normally, air purifiers that utilize the HEPA filter tend to consume more electricity. This is because the fans used to blow in the air purifier would have to blow stronger and faster to enable air pass through the tiny holes of the HEPA filter, because they (the holes) are smaller in size than that of a regular filter of an air purifier.
Size Of The Fan
Most of the time, air purifiers consume energy based on their fan size too. The larger the size of the unit, the bigger the fan that would be utilized. This in turn would require a higher amount of electricity to power the fan.
Try purchasing an air purifier with a small fan. A big fan will always need more energy to run effectively and this can go a long way in increasing the amount of electricity used.
Size Of Room
Different sizes of air purifiers are manufactured to filter air for different sizes of room. An air purifier designed to be utilized in a small space would not consume as much energy as the ones designed for utilization in large spacious rooms.
The area of room coverage or size of room matters. Air purifiers designed for large rooms will have large units and members and consume more electricity than a smaller one.
If the size of the room is small, it is advisable to use a small air purifier since it will still achieve the same goal of purifying air.
Ensure Ultraviolet Lights Are Turned Off
Ultraviolet lights are sometimes built into an air purifier unit to further sterilize and cleanse the air that is filtered through the unit, and other internal parts of the air purifier itself.
This double safety makes the air purifier consume almost double of it’s required electricity. If you make use of an air purifier that can be preset, ensure that you turn off the ultraviolet light.
This will only increase the amount of electricity consumed per hour depending on how long the ultraviolet light is utilized.
Minimize The Running Speed Of The Purifier
All air purifiers are designed with alternatives or preferences that allow the user choose a varying fan speed between low, medium, and high. The major significance in choosing between this varying speed is that it affects the way the fan rolls.
At low speed, the fan moves slow, at medium speed, the fan runs moderately, and at high speed, the fan runs very fast. Although much purification might not occur at low speed because the fan will be unable to blow in much air into the filter, using the fan speed at the highest setting will consume more of electricity.
It is always advisable to set the fan at a medium or moderate speed.
Ensure The Environment Is Clean
When air purifiers are utilized in a dirty or contaminated environment, they need to work much more and for a longer period to fulfil its air cleansing obligation. This increases the amount of electricity consumed.
The units of some air purifiers are designed to work in auto mode. This means that the air purifier can choose the speed at which it wants to run depending on the condition of the environment.
Before you turn on your air purifier, ensure the room and the surroundings which the air purifier will be utilized is thoroughly cleansed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Do Air Purifiers Do For Your Health?
Air purifiers help you live healthy. They remove contaminants and pollutants such as spores, dust, pollen grains, smoke, and other odor from the atmosphere allowing you to breathe in clean and pure air.
The microscopic particles and other pollutants in our surrounding air is the root cause of most respiratory diseases. However, there are air purifiers that are specially designed for specific diseases.
For example,if you are suffering from Allergy or asthma there are models that are suggested by experts effective in reducing such uncomfort. In fact, you can use air purifiers as a precaution to avoid such health issues.
Above all, the main job an air purifier performs is removing harmful components from the air of a certain range of areas. Thus it confirms that the user inhales fresh and safe air while breathing which is inevitable for a sound health.
Can I Use An Air Purifier 24/7
From a service perspective, apart from the company’s customer support we hardly need anything 24/7.
Using an air purifier, however, with no doubt is the best option to purify the indoor air nowadays. But it doesn’t mean that we need to keep it on 24/7 even when the user is not in the treating space. There is no limitation of how long you need to keep your air purifiers active though.
As a user, you will know it best when you need it to be in action. It serves you keeping your indoor air cool and odor free while you are in sleep. When back home from work and the trapped air in your confined room is about to take your breath out you will find the air purifier as an instant savior. Therefore, it depends on the situation.
Keeping it on 24/7! doesn’t it sound insane?
Do I Need To Clean My Air Purifier?
Yes, you need to clean your air purifier from time to time, especially the filter compartment.
This is because an air purifier can accumulate germs and dirt gotten from the process of purifying the air. Cleaning the air purifier ensures that it keeps cleansing air properly.
However, it is important to know how to clean your air purifier and be vigilant lest you should cause anything that makes it malfunctioning.
know whether your air purifier or the filter is safe for water cleaning. Some filters are extremely effective and too sensitive to be washed at the same time. For instance, If your purifier possesses a high -efficiency-particulate-air or HEPA filter make sure you are washing it with warm water and dry it completely before reinstalling.
Do Air Purifiers Completely Purify Air?
Yes, air purifiers completely purify air of contaminants and pollutants and allow you to breathe in clean, healthy air.
Can An Air Purifier Remove Odor?
Yes, an air purifier can remove odor from air, especially if it contains the carbon filter.
Carbon sheets present in air purifiers help to cleanse the air of odors and contaminants.
In Essence,
An air purifier does not consume much electricity. The amount of electricity an air purifier would consume depends on a number of factors which include the size of fan, setting, and even the type of filter.
To avoid the cost of electricity on an air purifier all together, it is advised that you get a battery-powered air purifier.
