CostCandid

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...

Should you buy a 20-pint, 35-pint, or 50-pint dehumidifier? The obvious answer might seem simple: a smaller dehumidifier uses less electricity, so it must cost less to run. But that is not always how dehumidifiers work in a real home. A smaller unit may draw less power while running, but it may need to run much longer to control humidity in a large or damp space. A larger unit may use more power per hour but reach the target humidity sooner. That means the cheapest dehumidifier to run is not necessarily the one with the lowest wattage. The calculator below lets you compare 20-, 35- and 50-pint size classes using wattage, actual daily runtime, electricity rate, purchase price and years of ownership. Quick answer: For a smaller or moderately damp space, a smaller dehumidifier may provide enough capacity with lower power draw and a lower purchase price. For a larger basement or a space with a heavier moisture load, a higher-capacity dehumidifier may be more economical ...

A mini fridge may be small, but it still runs 24 hours a day. That makes electricity cost worth checking before you put one in a dorm room, bedroom, home office or basement. The good news is that many efficient compact refrigerators use relatively little electricity. The catch is that energy consumption can vary substantially from one model to another. The easiest way to estimate the real cost is to use the refrigerator's annual energy consumption in kWh rather than guessing from its wattage. Enter the annual kWh from the EnergyGuide label or product specifications in the calculator below. Quick answer: At the May 2026 U.S. residential average electricity price of 18.44 cents per kWh, a compact refrigerator using 125 kWh per year would cost about $23.05 per year , or roughly $1.92 per month , in electricity. But compact refrigerators vary. Current ENERGY STAR listings include compact models with annual energy use around 106, 124, 125, 145, 150, 195 kWh and higher, ...