How much does it cost to run a dehumidifier? (2026–27)

At typical draw · official state tariffs

$0.11$0.17 per hour at 400 W

Typical household use — 8 h/day, 120 days a year at 400 W — runs $105$161 a year depending on your state's tariff.

Wattage basis: Compressor + fan input: small refrigerant units 150–300 W, common 10–20 L/day domestic units 250–500 W, large 800 W+.

Dehumidifier running cost by state at typical draw (2026–27 reference tariffs)
StateTariff c/kWhPer hourTypical year
New South Wales33.1c$0.13$127
Victoria27.5c$0.11$105
Queensland28.0c$0.11$107
South Australia41.9c$0.17$161
Western Australia33.3c$0.13$128
Tasmania28.0c$0.11$107
Australian Capital Territory37.0c$0.15$142
Northern Territory31.7c$0.13$122

Appliance running-cost calculator

NSW

Dehumidifier: 200900 W typical range.

~8 h/day in damp months.

$0.13 per hour · $127/year at your settings
Per day (8 h)
$1.06
Per month
$32.24
Per year (120 days)
$127.25

Tariff: 33.1c/kWh — AER Default Market Offer 2026–27 (DMO 8) for the Ausgrid network, effective 1 July 2026. Wattage basis: EcoFlow AU — dehumidifier power consumption. Full dehumidifier costs in NSW

Cutting the cost

Shut the room's windows and doors so it isn't fighting a fresh supply of damp air, and empty or plumb the tank so it doesn't keep cutting out and idling. Set a sensible target humidity rather than the driest possible setting, and run it only where damp is a genuine problem. Clean the filter regularly. Fixing the source of the moisture cuts the run time more than any setting can.

Frequently asked questions

How is the running cost calculated?
Watts ÷ 1,000 × your electricity rate = cost per hour. A dehumidifier drawing 400 W on a 33.1c/kWh tariff costs $0.13 an hour — the calculator above lets you change every input.
Does a higher star rating cut the cost?
Yes — the star rating compresses the power draw or energy per use, which scales this page's figures directly. The low–high band in the table (200900 W) roughly spans efficient to inefficient models.
Why does the state matter?
The appliance draws the same power everywhere — but each state's reference usage rate differs, so the same hour of running costs $0.11 in the cheapest state and $0.17 in the dearest. Pick your state above for exact figures.

Related

Sources — figures current as at 17 July 2026.

Costs use each state's representative-zone reference usage rate, effective 1 July 2026. ~8 h/day in damp months.