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The short answer, as of 2026: a typical 50-pint dehumidifier drawing about 500 watts costs roughly 9 cents an hour at a US average residential rate of 17.5 cents per kWh (check your own state against the EIA’s state-by-state residential prices) — about $1.05 for a 12-hour day, $31 a month, and $126 across a four-month damp season. In California at 32 cents per kWh the same use costs $58 a month. A small 20-pint unit runs about half that, and a whole-house 70-pint unit about 40 percent more.
Most dehumidifiers cycle rather than run continuously once the room reaches setpoint, so real bills often land 30 to 50 percent below the flat-out figures. We do not physically handle the units we rank; our picks come from aggregated owner reviews and expert consensus, described in how we rank, with the ranked field in best dehumidifiers.
Cost by capacity and electricity rate
Use the all-in rate from your bill — total charge divided by kWh used — which usually runs 15 to 40 percent above the advertised supply rate. Figures assume 12 hours of compressor runtime per day.
| Rate per kWh | 20-pint (280 W) | 35-pint (400 W) | 50-pint (500 W) | 70-pint (700 W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11¢ — WA, ID, ND | $11/mo | $16/mo | $20/mo | $28/mo |
| 14¢ — TX, TN, MO | $14/mo | $20/mo | $25/mo | $35/mo |
| 17.5¢ — US average | $18/mo | $25/mo | $31/mo | $44/mo |
| 25¢ — NY, NH, VT | $25/mo | $36/mo | $45/mo | $63/mo |
| 32¢ — CA, MA, CT | $32/mo | $46/mo | $58/mo | $81/mo |
| 44¢ — HI | $44/mo | $63/mo | $79/mo | $111/mo |
The formula behind every cell is watts ÷ 1,000 × hours per day × 30 × rate per kWh. Wattage on the nameplate is the maximum draw; ENERGY STAR certified units use about 20 percent less energy than a similarly sized conventional model, which over a season is $10 to $25.
Runtime drives the bill more than wattage
| Hours per day (50-pint, 500 W) | kWh per month | Cost at 17.5¢ |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 60 | $10.50 |
| 8 | 120 | $21.00 |
| 12 | 180 | $31.50 |
| 16 | 240 | $42.00 |
| 24 (continuous) | 360 | $63.00 |
What sets the hours: how humid the space actually is, how leaky it is to outside air, the humidistat setting, ambient temperature, and whether there is a water source you have not fixed. A basement with a genuine seepage problem will run a dehumidifier around the clock and produce the surprise bills people describe, while a mildly damp basement in a sealed house may need only 4 to 6 hours a day.
Seven ways to cut it
- Set the humidistat to 50 percent, not 35. The EPA advises keeping indoor humidity below 60 percent, ideally between 30 and 50 percent; 45 to 50 percent is comfortable and dry enough. Each 5 points lower adds meaningful runtime.
- Fix the water source first. Extend downspouts at least 4 to 6 ft from the foundation, correct grade so it slopes away, and seal obvious cracks. This routinely halves runtime.
- Close windows and doors to the space. Dehumidifying a basement with a window open is dehumidifying the outdoors.
- Size it correctly. An undersized unit running continuously costs more than a correctly sized one that cycles — see what size dehumidifier for a basement.
- Keep the coils and filter clean. A dust-blocked evaporator forces longer runtime for the same water removal. Detail in how to clean a dehumidifier.
- Use the continuous drain hose rather than the bucket. A unit that shuts off on a full bucket, then restarts from a higher humidity, uses more energy than one that never stops working — and you stop losing days to a full tank.
- Place it centrally with clearance. Restricted airflow around the intake and exhaust makes the unit work longer. See where to place a dehumidifier in a basement.
Total cost of ownership
| Item | 2026 cost |
|---|---|
| 20 to 35-pint unit | $150 – $250 |
| 50-pint unit | $200 – $330 |
| 70-pint or whole-basement unit | $280 – $500 |
| Crawl space or whole-house ducted unit | $1,200 – $2,500 plus installation |
| Electricity, four-month season, 50-pint | $80 – $230 |
| Filter cleaning or replacement | $0 – $30/yr |
| Expected life | 5 – 10 years |
Regional variation matters in both directions. Electricity rates range from about 11 cents per kWh in the Pacific Northwest to 44 in Hawaii, tripling the running cost for identical use. Season length varies just as much: a Gulf Coast or Ohio Valley basement may need a dehumidifier eight months a year, while an arid Mountain West home may never need one at all.
For the energy question in more depth see do dehumidifiers use a lot of electricity, and for the setpoint, what to set a dehumidifier to. If yours is running constantly, why my dehumidifier fills up so fast and why it is not collecting water cover the two ends of that problem, and desiccant vs compressor matters for cold spaces. Everything else is at the air quality hub.