CostCandid

If my furnace died tomorrow, I wouldn't start by asking an HVAC contractor which system has the lower sticker price. I'd ask a different question: What is this system actually going to cost my family over the next 10 years? That's where the heat pump versus gas furnace decision gets a lot more interesting. A gas furnace can be less expensive to install in some homes. A heat pump can be extremely efficient, and it can handle both heating and cooling. But neither of those facts tells you which system will cost less at your house . Electricity rates vary dramatically across the country. Natural gas prices change. Climate matters. Equipment efficiency matters. Your insulation matters. And replacing a furnace while keeping a relatively new air conditioner is a completely different financial decision from replacing both systems at once. So instead of giving you a one-size-fits-all answer, I built a calculator that lets you run the numbers yourself. Heat Pump vs G...

A whole-house dehumidifier can cost far more upfront than a portable unit. But purchase price alone does not tell you which option costs less over time. A whole-home system can involve equipment, professional installation, ductwork or duct modifications, drainage, electrical work, maintenance and years of electricity use. Portable dehumidifiers are cheaper to buy, but a large or humid home may require more than one unit. That makes the better financial question: Which option costs less over the number of years you expect to own it? Use the calculator below to compare a whole-house dehumidifier with one or more portable units. Quick Answer A whole-house dehumidifier has a much higher upfront cost than a typical portable dehumidifier because the project can include both equipment and installation. However, the long-term comparison depends on your specific home, how many portable units you would otherwise need, electricity consumption, replacement frequency and maint...

If you leave a dehumidifier running in your basement all day, how much does it actually add to your electric bill? The answer depends on more than the wattage printed on the appliance. A dehumidifier may be powered on 24 hours a day without its compressor running continuously. Once the basement reaches the humidity setting you selected, the humidistat can cycle the dehumidifier on and off. That makes the most useful cost equation: Rated Watts × Power-On Hours × Estimated Duty Cycle × Electricity Rate Use the calculator below to estimate your daily, 30-day, seasonal, annual, 5-year and 10-year basement dehumidifier electricity costs. Quick Answer A basement dehumidifier that is switched on 24/7 does not necessarily consume its full rated wattage for all 24 hours. For example, a 500-watt unit powered on for 24 hours with an estimated 60% active duty cycle would have about 14.4 equivalent full-power hours per day. At $0.18 per kWh, that simplified example works ou...

An ENERGY STAR dishwasher can use less electricity and less water than a less-efficient standard model. But that doesn't automatically mean it's worth paying hundreds of dollars more. The useful question is: How much will the lower utility use actually save during the years I own the dishwasher? That's the calculation most appliance comparisons skip. Under current ENERGY STAR criteria, a standard-size certified dishwasher must use no more than 240 kWh per year and 3.2 gallons of water per cycle . For comparison, the current federal efficiency benchmark for a standard-size conventional dishwasher is up to 307 kWh per year and 5.0 gallons per cycle . Using those two benchmarks, the ENERGY STAR model saves electricity and water. But whether that justifies a higher purchase price depends on your utility rates, how often you run the dishwasher, the price difference and how long you keep it. Quick Answer: How Much Can ENERGY STAR Save? Using the curren...