Running cost comes down to wattage, hours and your rate. In Tennessee the rate is 14.47 cents per kWh, which is 21.5 percent below the national average. Here is what that means for a dehumidifier.
A dehumidifier drawing 500 W costs $0.07 per hour in Tennessee. Run 12 hours a day that is $0.87 daily, $26.05 a month and $317 a year, which is $86.94 less than the same appliance at the US average rate.
Dehumidifier cost at Tennessee rates
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Planning estimate. The rate box is prefilled with a regional average; the figure on your own bill is the one that matters. Power is draw while running, not while switched on.
Cost by hours used per day in Tennessee
| Hours/day | Energy | Per day | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 h | 0.50 kWh | $0.07 | $2.17 |
| 2 h | 1.00 kWh | $0.14 | $4.34 |
| 4 h | 2.00 kWh | $0.29 | $8.68 |
| 6 h | 3.00 kWh | $0.43 | $13.02 |
| 8 h | 4.00 kWh | $0.58 | $17.36 |
| 12 h | 6.00 kWh | $0.87 | $26.05 |
| 24 h | 12.00 kWh | $1.74 | $52.09 |
Cost by wattage at 14.47 cents
| Rated power | Per hour | Per day | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 280 W | $0.04 | $0.49 | $14.59 |
| 350 W | $0.05 | $0.61 | $18.23 |
| 500 W | $0.07 | $0.87 | $26.05 |
| 650 W | $0.09 | $1.13 | $33.86 |
| 800 W | $0.12 | $1.39 | $41.67 |
Find the row matching the nameplate on your own unit. Within a single appliance category the spread is often wider than the difference between categories, so the label is worth reading.
What this means in Tennessee
This appliance runs on much the same schedule regardless of climate, so the figure above is a reasonable year-round estimate for Tennessee. What changes it is your own usage pattern rather than the weather.
Why Tennessee pays what it does
Tennessee is a regulated market, so your utility is the only supplier and the rate is set through the state commission rather than by competition. Pricing tends to be steadier than in deregulated states, and there is no switching decision available. The levers are all on your side of the meter.
At 14.47 cents, Tennessee ranks 12 of 51 from cheapest to most expensive. The Southeast regional average is 16.16 cents. Roughly half of any residential bill is transmission and distribution rather than generation, which is why rates keep climbing even when fuel prices fall.
How this compares across the country
The same dehumidifier on the same schedule, in the cheapest and dearest states:
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho | 12.35¢ | $22.23 | $270 |
| Utah | 12.96¢ | $23.33 | $284 |
| Tennessee | 14.47¢ | $26.05 | $317 |
| California | 33.25¢ | $59.85 | $728 |
| Hawaii | 52.00¢ | $93.60 | $1,139 |
Lowering the number in Tennessee
- Set the humidistat to 50 percent. Chasing 40 often doubles runtime for no additional benefit.
- Fix the water before drying the air. Grading, gutters and a vapour barrier are one-time costs; a dehumidifier is 500 W forever.
- Use the continuous drain hose. A full bucket stops the unit and the humidity climbs back.
- Close basement windows in summer. Warm humid air condensing on cool surfaces is the load you are paying to remove.
- Clean coils and filter. Restricted airflow extends every cycle.
Offsetting it with solar in Tennessee
This load uses about 6.00 kWh a day. Covering that would take roughly 5 standard 400 W panels at typical sun hours, an array of about 2.00 kW. Because it offsets electricity worth 14.47 cents rather than the national 18.44 cents, the same array is worth less here than the national payback figures suggest.
Long runtime is what makes this expensive to run on solar, not the draw. Basement units run through the night when there is no sun. Full sizing, including battery and inverter requirements, is on the solar sizing page for this appliance.