How Much Does It Cost to Run a Dehumidifier?

A 50-pint dehumidifier costs about 66¢ a day and $20 a month to run at the US average rate. See costs by size and by state.

Plugtally research Updated August 17, 2026 Rates: EIA, August 2026

A 50-pint dehumidifier costs about 66¢ a day and $20 a month to run at the US average rate of 18.44¢/kWh, assuming 12 hours of compressor time a day. Over a 150-day damp season that comes to roughly $100.

The number moves a lot with conditions. A dehumidifier in a genuinely wet basement runs near-continuously and can cost three times that; one in a moderately damp room reaches its humidity setpoint and idles most of the day.

Plugtally estimate Cost range across US states
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Cost by dehumidifier size

CapacityTypical watts Per day (12 hr)Per 30 days Suits
20–22 pint280 W37¢$11.15Bedroom, small damp room
30–35 pint380 W50¢$15.14Living area up to 1,000 sq ft
50 pint500 W66¢$19.92Basement, whole floor
70 pint700 W93¢$27.88Large or very wet basement
Whole-house900 W$1.19$35.85Ducted, humid climates
Assumes a 60% duty cycle over 12 hours of operation at 18.44¢/kWh.
Counter-intuitive but true

A bigger dehumidifier usually costs less to run than a small one in the same room. Removing moisture takes a roughly fixed amount of energy per pint; a larger unit does it faster and then shuts off, while an undersized unit runs continuously and never reaches the setpoint. Size up, do not size down.

Season cost by state

StateRate Costvs US avg  
Idaho12.35¢$66.7−32.9below average
Texas16.44¢$88.8−10.8below average
Florida15.17¢$81.9−17.7below average
Ohio19.52¢$105+5.83near average
Pennsylvania21.55¢$116+16.8above average
New York29.93¢$162+62.0above average
California33.25¢$180+80.0above average
Hawaii52.00¢$281+181above average
Identical usage — 12 hours a day for 150 days (540 kWh) — priced at each state's average residential rate.
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What humidity setting to use

Target 45–50% relative humidity. That is low enough to stop mould, dust mites and that damp-basement smell, and high enough that the compressor is not running pointlessly.

Every 5% you lower the setpoint below 50% adds meaningful runtime for very little benefit. Going from 50% to 35% can nearly double the running cost while making the room feel no better and drying out timber and instruments.

Below 65°F

Standard compressor dehumidifiers lose efficiency badly in cold rooms and can frost up below about 65°F, at which point they spend energy defrosting rather than dehumidifying. For an unheated garage or a cold crawl space, a desiccant dehumidifier works properly at low temperatures — it draws more power per pint at room temperature, but it actually functions where a compressor unit does not.

The air conditioning side effect

A dehumidifier releases heat into the room. It is a heat pump running in a loop — the energy it draws, plus the latent heat released as water vapour condenses, all ends up as warm air.

That cuts two ways:

  • In summer, a dehumidifier in a conditioned space makes your air conditioner work harder. You pay twice. Put it in the basement, where it is useful and unconditioned.
  • Dry air feels cooler at the same temperature, so pulling humidity down often lets you raise the AC setpoint 2–3°F — which can more than repay the dehumidifier's own consumption.

The practical version: in a humid climate, running a dehumidifier in the basement and setting the thermostat a couple of degrees higher usually nets out cheaper and more comfortable than running the AC colder to chase humidity.

Cheaper than running it at all

  • Fix the water first. A dehumidifier fighting a leaking gutter, poor grading or an unsealed crawl space will run forever. Directing downspouts away from the foundation is a one-afternoon job that removes the load entirely.
  • Cover a crawl space floor with a vapour barrier. Bare soil evaporates gallons of water into the house every day.
  • Vent the bathroom and the dryer outside — not into the attic or the crawl space.
  • Empty or plumb the tank. A full tank shuts the unit off, and a unit that spent the day switched off did not dehumidify anything.

Frequently asked questions

Do dehumidifiers use a lot of electricity?

Moderately. A 50-pint unit draws about 500 W — comparable to a large television — but often runs 12 or more hours a day, which is what makes it add up to around $20 a month at 18.44¢/kWh.

Is it cheaper to run a dehumidifier or air conditioner?

A dehumidifier is far cheaper per hour: about 500 W against 3,500 W for central AC. They do different jobs, but because dry air feels cooler, a dehumidifier can let you raise the thermostat and reduce total cost in humid climates.

Should I run a dehumidifier all the time?

Run it continuously with a humidistat set to 45–50% rather than switching it on and off manually. The unit will cycle itself, which uses less energy than letting humidity climb and then removing it in bulk.

How much does it cost to run a dehumidifier 24 hours?

About $1.33 a day for a 50-pint unit at a 60% duty cycle and 18.44¢/kWh. In a genuinely wet basement where the compressor never cycles off, closer to $2.21.

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