How Many Watts Does A Dehumidifier Use? A Quick Discussion!

A dehumidifier works great to remove added moisture from the air and keep the indoor space dry and clean. What’s more, dehumidifiers are among the lowest energy-consuming electronic devices. Thus, it won’t affect the electric bill of your home.

Nonetheless, you should know the energy-consuming properties of the dehumidifier when you actually want to buy one. So, how many watts does a dehumidifier use?

As a rule of thumb, the larger the dehumidifier, the more wattage it will use. That’s why a dehumidifier with 75 pints capacity will consume more energy than a machine with 50 pints capacity. However, this is a superficial answer.

So, here goes the real one; most dehumidifiers are rated with 400W to 700W capacity. On average, a mid-range dehumidifier uses 482W electricity. As it stands, the dehumidifier will need around 0.547KWh of electricity per hour. It results in approximately 10.24KWh each day. However, this is an average and approximate calculation that varies depending on the energy efficiency and size of the dehumidifier you use at home.

Thus, it’s time to discuss the wattage usage of the dehumidifier and how much electricity it consumes. It will help you know about the probable electricity bills in your home. If you are planning to get a new dehumidifier now, it’s high time you read this article because we will discuss how to reduce your electricity bills with this device.

How Many Watts Does A Dehumidifier Use?: The Basics and Main Discussion

Dehumidifying machines are rated by Watt (W) capacity. As a rule, the more wattage the device uses, the larger it is. Similarly, it can remove more moisture from the air. Thus, the wattage usage of the dehumidifier has a direct link with the moisture removal capacity.

Naturally, you would want to get a dehumidifier with higher wattage capacity if you live in high humid regions. However, higher wattage capacity doesn’t always mean that it is good. Many energy-efficient rated dehumidifiers use pretty less electricity and will still remove higher humidity from the indoor space.

The following table showcases the pint capacity of the dehumidifier and its wattage uses. It will give you a clear idea about the possible electricity usage of the device.

As the table shows, most dehumidifiers use less than their advertised wattage uses. So, these devices will cost you less than you expect, seeing the package labeling.

Moreover, the table shows that most dehumidifiers will use around 600W of electricity on average. However, the electricity or wattage consumption of the dehumidifiers will differ extensively depending on their size and models. Usually, older models use way more wattage than the modern-day dehumidifier models. It happens because newer models have energy-efficient designs, so they consume much less energy.

Usually, the wattage usage difference between the smaller dehumidifiers and larger ones is around 750W. So, it is important to break down the wattage usage of different size dehumidifiers.

Dehumidifiers with Low Wattage Use:

Modern dehumidifiers are highly energy-efficient home appliances. A few of them have got an Energy Star rating too. These low-wattage dehumidifiers will use around 214W to 466W of electricity. Also, you should note that not all Energy Star-rated dehumidifying devices are low-wattage appliances.

Many of these dehumidifiers will use around 520W to 540W of electricity.

So, here is an important note. Not all Energy Star-rated dehumidifiers are low wattage too. So, when you buy the home appliance, you shouldn’t just fall for Energy Star dehumidifiers. Instead, look at its’ actual wattage uses. It will help you know about its electricity consumption better. We will discuss the method to calculate the electricity consumption and bills of the dehumidifier in the following section.

Dehumidifiers with Medium Wattage Use:

If a dehumidifier uses around 465W to 600W electricity, it is rated as a medium wattage dehumidifier. Some experts say that medium wattage usages of dehumidifies will be less than 700W, not 600W. So, there’s a debate on the actual wattage usability of these home appliances.

Also, the average wattage use of a medium dehumidifier will be 483.24W. Also, most devices will use less than 600W of electricity. Modern-day dehumidifiers will use less than 600W electricity due to their energy-efficient design. Thus, you will find the older home appliance models in this category of wattage usage.

Dehumidifiers with High Wattage Use:

Dehumidifiers that use a high wattage will require above 700W of electricity. Also, its top wattage usage will be somewhere around 1000W.

You need to understand that these dehumidifiers are the largest ones available. Also, these are commercial appliances designed to work in large spaces. Also, most whole-house dehumidifiers will fall in this category due to their less energy efficiency.

An Important Note:

When you count the wattage usage of the dehumidifier from its amperage (AMP) and voltage (V) measurement, most dehumidifiers will be either mid or high-wattage used devices. It happens because most dehumidifiers use far less energy than it has been advertised on the product label in real life.

Nonetheless, at times even larger dehumidifiers that use over 700W of electricity can be energy efficient. They are only large enough to use high electricity. It is still useful since these machines are designed to remove more moisture from the air. So, you can opt for them in large houses or commercial spaces.

How Much Electricity A Dehumidifier Use Per Day?

When you get a dehumidifier at home, you would want to know about its electricity consumption per day. It will help you know about its probable electricity bill monthly. There are two parts to this electricity bill consumption.

Firstly, how much electricity does the dehumidifier use per hour? Secondly, how long does a dehumidifier take to work?

The more time the dehumidifier will take to start working, the more electricity bill will be. Also, it will depend on how long you will run the device. On average, homeowners in America will run their dehumidifier for around 10 hours each day.

So, let’s start breaking down the electricity cost of the dehumidifier.

On average, a dehumidifier will use 0.547KW of electricity per hour.

So, the electricity consumption per day will be= Electricity use per hour X how long the dehumidifier works.

Per day electricity consumption of the dehumidifier= 0.547KWX10 hour=5.47KW

Thus, as the calculation shows, a dehumidifier will use 5.47KW of electricity per day when you run it for 10 hours. However, this is an average calculation. In real life, most dehumidifiers use 230W to 970W electricity per hour, according to our above discussion.

So, the electricity consumption of the device will be from 2.3KW to 9.7KW per day.

Now, it’s time to count the electricity bill of the dehumidifier per month.

For this, we will look into two facts. Firstly, how much electricity the device will use each month. Also, you need to know the average electricity bill in your locality.

As the discussion shows, a dehumidifier uses 5.47KW of electricity each day. So, its monthly electricity consumption will be 164.1KW.

In America, the average cost per kilowatt-hour electricity bill is 10.42 cents. So, the monthly electricity cost will be like the following one for a dehumidifier.

Monthly electricity bill of the dehumidifier= Monthly electricity consumption X per kilowatt-hour electricity bill= 164.1KWhX10.42 cents

It equals $17.42 per month. In America, homeowners pay around $115.49 as electricity bills each month. So, a moderate dehumidifier will cost 10% of your monthly electricity bill. Looking at the percentage, it might seem pretty high. However, when you look at the benefits of the dehumidifier at home, the monthly bills seem highly legitimate.

Is The Electricity Bill Cost of Dehumidifier Justified?

As you see, a dehumidifier will cost 10% of your home’s total monthly electricity bills. But is it really beneficial? Do the benefits of a dehumidifier outweigh its electricity bill?

For this, we need to look at a few facts. A dehumidifier will control the moisture level in your home. So, it reduces mold and mildew growth, the benefit of which can’t be measured in money. So, we will approach it with a different method.

• If your home has excess moisture, a room heater will need more than 4X time and energy to heat the room. Reducing the moisture level at home using the dehumidifier can significantly reduce the time to heat the room. Thus, your room will remain warm during the wintertime. Also, it will reduce your overall electricity bill.
• Most people don’t know that a dehumidifier will increase the room temperature by 5°F to 10°F. So, it will help you keep the room warmer during the wintertime, even without the room heater.
• When you run a dehumidifier to lower the moisture in the room, your air conditioning machine will also work better and faster. Thus, it also helps reduce the electricity bill of the air conditioner.

Nonetheless, we must mention that energy usage and electricity bill isn’t a highly important factor in buying a dehumidifier. Instead, you should look at its coverage, moisture removal capacity, running time, and working efficiency.

Also, a dehumidifier is a great investment if you dislike mold and mildew at home. Plus, it will relieve your breathing problem and keep you in a better quality indoor space. Nonetheless, there are ways to reduce the electricity consumption of the dehumidifier.

Tips on Lowering the Electricity Use of The Dehumidifier

A dehumidifier is generally a low-energy-using device. It doesn’t use too much electricity as our above discussion shows. Some dehumidifiers can still consume more electricity than it supposed to be, and also, older models might consume huge amounts of electricity.

Nonetheless, you can lower the electricity bill of the device with a few easy steps. It includes:

• You should keep the windows and doors closed when you run the dehumidifier. As outdoor moisture can’t enter the indoor space, the dehumidifier will remove the moisture from the space easily and shortly. So, it will need less energy.
• You can choose to get a dehumidifier with a humidistat. The humidistat will measure the indoor humidity level and run the device accordingly. Also, you can set a schedule and your preferred humidity level with the humidistat. So, it will run to bring down the humidity level to your desired level, and then the dehumidifier will shut off automatically. It will go a long way to lower the electricity bill.
• Finally, you may run the dehumidifier in the off-peak hours. Although it won’t reduce the device’s electricity consumption, it will certainly lower the bill.

You may apply these techniques and reduce the utility bills of your home. Also, use the dehumidifier wisely. You don’t need to run it throughout the day. Running the dehumidifier for 4 to 10 hours will be enough. Also, run the device in a medium setting. It too helps reduce the electricity bill.

Final Words

A dehumidifier is a great way to control indoor moisture and improve air quality. However, many people are concerned about getting the home appliance as they assume it consumes too much energy. So, how many watts does a dehumidifier use?

As your research and above discussion suggest, a dehumidifier will consume around 0.547KW of electricity per hour which transcribes into 5.47KWh electricity each day. It will cost around $17 as an electricity bill monthly. So, you don’t need to worry about the electricity cost while buying your new dehumidifier.