Dehumidifier electricity use: per hour, per month
A median certified 25 to 40 pint dehumidifier uses 0.34 kWh per hour of drying. Enter your hours and state: the tool prices your month.
Example for a 25 to 40 pint unit, 12 hours a day for 30 days — change any figure to see your own result
Running cost for the hours you enter
$22
12 hours a day for 30 days at the U.S. average price
| Per hour | $0.06 |
| Energy per hour | 0.34 kWh (about 337 watts) |
| Certified portable models in that class | 92 |
| Most frugal of them, same hours | $16 |
The DOE test counts 1,095 hours of drying a year; a damp basement can run longer.
Compiled by Radif Partners · How the figures are built
Dehumidifier electricity use is set by the capacity of the unit, in pints of water removed a day, and by the hours it runs. The ENERGY STAR list of November 12, 2026 holds 522 certified portable dehumidifiers and 24 whole-home units. Its yearly kWh comes from the federal test, which counts 1,095 hours of operation a year (10 CFR 430, appendix X1); divided by those hours, it gives the energy per hour of running. A median certified portable unit uses 301 kWh in the test, 0.27 kWh an hour. In the 25 to 40 pint class, the median is 0.34 kWh an hour, about 337 watts. Running 12 hours a day for 30 days, that class costs $22 at the U.S. average home price of August 2026 and $57 in Hawaii. A damp basement in summer can keep a unit running far longer than the test assumes, which is why the tool asks for your own hours. The list gives no dimensions for dehumidifiers.
Dehumidifier electricity use by size
The table groups the certified portable units by their capacity in pints a day, with the median energy in the test, the energy per hour and the cost of a month at 12 hours a day.
| Size | Models | Typical kWh in the test | kWh per hour | Month, 12 h a day, U.S. average | Same month, Hawaii |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 25 pints a day | 267 | 276 | 0.25 | $16 | $43 |
| 25 to 40 pints | 92 | 369 | 0.34 | $22 | $57 |
| Over 40 pints | 163 | 519 | 0.47 | $31 | $81 |
Your hours, not the test's
The yearly figure is the energy of 1,095 hours at the test conditions set by the federal test procedure (10 CFR 430). It is a fair basis for comparing units, not a forecast. A unit set to a low humidity target in a basement that stays wet runs most of the day; a unit in a dry month barely starts. Count the hours it is actually on, or read them from a plug-in meter.
Your hours of drying, priced in your state
Example for a 25 to 40 pint unit, 12 hours a day for 30 days — change any figure to see your own result
Running cost for the hours you enter
$22
12 hours a day for 30 days at the U.S. average price
| Per hour | $0.06 |
| Energy per hour | 0.34 kWh (about 337 watts) |
| Certified portable models in that class | 92 |
| Most frugal of them, same hours | $16 |
Whole-home units
The 24 whole-home dehumidifiers on the list connect to the ducts of a home and are rated under another part of the test. They are left out of the table and the tool, which compare portable units only.
Cooling and the bill
A window air conditioner also removes moisture while it cools; its running cost is on the window air conditioner page. The state comparison gives the price per kWh that multiplies every figure here.
Reading the size
The capacity in pints a day on the list is the water a unit removes in a day under the test conditions, set by the current federal test. Ratings printed on older units may come from an earlier method, so compare certified models on the same list, as the table does. A cool basement slows any unit down.