How much does it cost to run a dehumidifier in the UK?

Price updated 9 July 2026 · Q3 2026 (Jul–Sep)

A typical dehumidifier (350 W) used 6 hours a day, every day costs about £16.68 a month (£200.13 a year) at 26.11p/kWh.

Dehumidifiers pull moisture from the air, which makes them useful both for drying laundry indoors and for controlling condensation and damp in winter. Compressor models typically draw 150–500W, desiccant models a little more. Running one to dry a load of washing in a closed room is often cheaper than a tumble dryer and warms the room slightly as a side effect. Costs depend heavily on how long you run it and whether it has a humidity-sensing auto mode that switches off when the target is reached.

Work out your own cost

About £16.68 a month · £200.13 a year

Per hour9.1p

Per day55p

Per week£3.84

Per month£16.68

Per year£200.13

Uses about 767 kWh a year. Prefilled with the Ofgem cap of 26.11p/kWh — edit any box for your own figures.

Cost by model power

The same dehumidifier can vary a lot between models, so here is the range from a low-power to a high-power example.

Based on 6 hours a day, every day, at 26.11p/kWh.
Model	Power	Per hour	Per day	Per month	Per year
Low-power model	150 W	3.9p	23p	£7.15	£85.77
Typical model	350 W	9.1p	55p	£16.68	£200.13
High-power model	700 W	18p	£1.10	£33.36	£400.27

What changes the cost

Compressor vs desiccant type
Hours run per day
Whether it has an auto humidistat
Room size and how damp the air is

Save money: Use the built-in humidistat so it switches off once the air is dry enough, and close the door when drying laundry so it works on a small volume of air.

Common questions

Can a dehumidifier dry clothes more cheaply than a tumble dryer?

Often yes, especially in a small closed room. A 350W dehumidifier uses far less power per hour than a 2.5kW dryer, though it takes longer.

Compare it

Dehumidifier vs Tumble dryer