How Much Does It Cost to Run a Dehumidifier Each Month?

Source: Planning watts of 500 and 12 hours a day, hours of running time a day. Price: 17.23 cents per kWh, the 2025 US residential average from EIA Form EIA-861.

The monthly cost is 21% of the $150.68 average US electric bill. Because it runs only about 6 months a year, the yearly cost is 6 times the monthly figure, not twelve.

One figure cannot fit every home. These three cases show how much the answer moves with the equipment and the hours.

The lowest case costs $10 a month and the highest $66. Use the calculator above to match your own.

The same dehumidifier costs different amounts depending on the state, because the price per kWh differs. Here are the three cheapest states, the US average and the three costliest, for the same 182 kWh a month.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 (final 2025 data). Price is residential revenue divided by sales and includes fixed charges.

See electricity rates in every state to find your own.

A dehumidifier works like a small air conditioner: a compressor cools a coil, water condenses on it, and the unit warms the air slightly. The motor draw is steady while it runs, and the humidistat decides how often it runs.

The hours depend on humidity, room size and the humidistat setting. Energy Star models remove more water per kWh.

The range for this kind of appliance runs from about 250 to 700 watts. At 12 hours a day that is $16 to $44 a month, which is why checking the label on yours is worth the minute.

• Set the humidity target at about 50 percent.
• Close the room and fix leaks that add moisture.
• Empty or drain the tank so the unit does not shut off early.

Next step: What uses the most electricity. For general ideas, read how to lower your electric bill.

Other appliances in the outdoor and extras group: Pool Pump, Hot Tub, Humidifier, Aquarium.

The cost is watts divided by 1,000, times hours, times your price per kWh. The 500 watts is a planning figure for this kind of appliance, set from typical product ratings, and the 12 hours is an assumed day of use. Neither is copied from a federal table. Federal guidance describes the method and warns that real wattage varies, so we publish our own typical ranges and label them as such. Prices come from EIA Form EIA-861 for 2025.

The calculation is the standard one used in the U.S. Department of Energy's consumer guidance on estimating appliance energy use. Wattage varies by product age and features, so the label on your own appliance beats any average. Read more in our methodology.