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How much does it cost to run a dehumidifier?

Work out what any appliance costs to run per use, per month and per year on your own electricity rate — including what it draws on standby. Rates for all 50 states.

Showing US rates
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Using the US average of 18.44¢/kWh — the U.S. Energy Information Administration, May 2026.

A compressor dehumidifier running eight hours a day. It earns its keep in two separate ways, and only one of them shows up as a saving on this page.

Rates vary widely across US — picking yours makes the answer far closer.
Wattage is on the rating plate or in the manual. Washing machines and dishwashers usually quote kWh per cycle instead.
Usage
W
min
kWh
Your tariff
¢/kWh
On your bill or in your online account. If you do not know it, the average for your area is filled in already.
W
Leave at 0 if you unplug it. Most things with a clock, light or remote draw 0.5–3 W.
Cost per use $0.37
Cost per year $134
Cost per month $11.19
Energy per use 2 kWh
Energy per year 728 kWh
Of which standby $0.00

Common cases

What drives the cost

A dehumidifier is unusual on this page because its running cost is the less interesting half of the story. At around 250 W for eight hours a day it is a real but moderate cost — comparable to a television left on far too long. What it is doing for that money is pulling litres of water out of the air, which is what stops windows streaming and corners going black.

The other half is that almost all of the electricity it uses comes back as heat in the room, so in winter very little of it is truly spent — you are dehumidifying and mildly heating at the same time. That makes it much better value than the meter reading suggests, and it is the reason it keeps being recommended over simply opening a window in cold weather, where you would be throwing away heat you paid for. If you are running one to dry washing, the clothes drying calculator prices that job directly and compares it against a tumble dryer.

How this is worked out

Electricity is billed per kilowatt hour. An appliance's kilowatt hours are its power in kilowatts multiplied by the hours it runs — so a 2,000 W appliance running for 30 minutes uses 1 kWh. Multiply that by your rate and you have the cost. The fixed monthly customer charge your utility adds is not included, because you pay it whether or not you switch anything on.

What this assumes

  • The appliance draws its rated power for the whole time it is on. Anything thermostatically controlled — ovens, heaters, refrigerators, air conditioners — cycles on and off, so the real figure is lower.
  • Your rate is flat all day. On a time-of-use plan the same appliance costs materially different amounts depending on when you run it, and peak rates can be several times the off-peak rate.
  • State averages come from the EIA and blend every utility in that state. Your own utility may be meaningfully above or below it, so use your bill where you can.
  • A year is 52 weeks of identical use, which overstates seasonal appliances and understates ones you use in bursts.
  • The rate filled in for you is an average that spreads fixed charges across a year's usage, so it sits above what one extra unit really costs. Entering the unit rate from your own bill gives a closer answer.

Questions

Is a dehumidifier expensive to run?

Moderate, and cheaper in practice than the figure suggests. The headline is a few hundred watts while the compressor runs, but it cycles rather than running flat out, and nearly all the energy it uses ends up as heat in the room. In winter that offsets your heating; in summer it is a genuine cost.

Is a dehumidifier cheaper than opening a window?

In winter, usually yes, which surprises people. Opening a window removes moisture but also removes the heat you paid for, and cold outdoor air has to be warmed once it is inside. A dehumidifier removes the water while keeping the heat in the room. In mild weather, ventilation is free and wins easily.

Does this include the monthly service charge?

No, deliberately. The fixed customer charge is billed for being connected at all, so it does not change when you run an appliance more or less. Including it would make every appliance look more expensive than it is.

Why is the default rate different from what I pay?

The figure filled in is the EIA state average across all utilities in your state. Rates inside a single state can vary widely between a municipal utility and an investor-owned one, so your bill is always the better number.

Where do I find the wattage?

On the nameplate — usually a label on the back, base or inside the door — or in the manual. It is written as W or kW. If it only lists amps, multiply amps by 120 for a standard outlet, or 240 for a large appliance circuit.

Sources

Rates from U.S. EIA for May 2026. Last reviewed September 3, 2026.