Why the biggest dehumidifier is often the cheapest long term

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Last Updated On 20 December 2024
Written By Lauren Perry

Dehumidifiers are great for improving the quality of our lives, whether it be allowing our homes to heat faster and cheaper, preventing condensation and mould or improving our health. Dehumidifiers are a life changing purchase that has moved from being niche to mainstream.

However, we’re still living through the cost of living crisis and energy bills aren’t getting any cheaper. These days we all have to be careful with money and we all want value for money. This is why the temptation to buy the cheapest dehumidifier we can is alluring and probably why our most popular model is the 12L version.

The logic is simple, the smaller options, such as the 12L models, have a cheaper upfront cost. But when you think of the long term, you want to look for a unit that offers the optimum performance in your property and for the lowest running costs.

The cheapest to run and most efficient dehumidifier is actually the MeacoDry Arete® 25L Dehumidifier & Air Purifier.

But the MeacoDry Arete® 25L Dehumidifier & Air Purifier is the most expensive dehumidifier in the range, so why would that make it the cheapest to live with?

It all comes down to that long term logic.

The true cost to us as a customer of any appliance is energy efficiency and running costs. How much water can the unit extract, how long the dehumidifier is actually turned on for and by extension what does it cost to extract that water?

How much does it cost to run a larger dehumidifier?

Energy efficiency is one of the reasons we would often recommend to you a 25L model over one of the smaller options.

It may surprise you but the MeacoDry Arete® 25L Dehumidifier & Air Purifier is actually 8% cheaper to run than the MeacoDry Arete® 12L! When you calculate how much each litre of water will cost for the dehumidifier to collect, it only needs half the running time to do the same job.

In real terms, if you’re running a 12L and 25L in the same conditions, you’ll find the MeacoDry Arete® 25L reaches the target humidity in half the time and automatically switches off. MeacoDry Arete® 12L will keep running and consume more energy within the same environment.

Let’s assume your property is currently 20°C and 80% Relative Humidity (this is a day when the heating is on or it’s a hot day, you’ve been home, cooking dinner, having showers and generally increasing the humidity).

With an MeacoDry Arete® Two 12L, you’re looking at extracting 8.51 litres that day at 142 watts -at 3p an hour. This dehumidifier will be running all day. It’s an effective and compact unit but it will not fill the tank for you in this environment. Assuming it’s running all day, that’s 36p for 12 hours.

With an MeacoDry Arete® Two 25L, your dehumidifier will extract a massive 17.6 litres a day at 264 watts -just over 3p an hour. This dehumidifier will only need to run for a few hours to reach your target humidity in this environment. At which point it will switch off.

Say it runs for 6 hours, reaches target humidity and stops, that’s just over 18p for 6 hours. That’s better energy efficiency for the exact same outcome. Ultimately, cheaper in the long term.

We are very proud of our engineering behind our MeacoDry Arete® Dehumidifier & Air Purifier range and 3p per hour is an incredibly low cost to run for any dehumidifier.

But it’s still important to choose the right dehumidifier for you to make sure you’re getting the most out of your unit and save on your energy bills.

Looking for more information on how to choose the best dehumidifier for you? Read our blog: How to use a dehumidifier and where best to put it around the house

Extracting moisture more efficiently is better for your home as well as your pocket

Having a machine that can extract the same amount of moisture out of the air twice as fast is also better for your home and the management of damp, mould and condensation. That’s better air, lower bills.

This faster extraction rate will mean that the excess moisture in the air will have less chance to be absorbed by organic materials in the house before the dehumidifier has had a chance to absorb it.

This will mean less mould growth and less damage to those things that you are trying to protect. By extension, that’s also fewer repairs and less time and money spent on managing mould with chemicals or making good damaged surfaces.

Drying your clothes is also more efficient with a larger dehumidifier

As well as the saving in energy consumption and the reduced running time, there are other advantages to going big as well.

Laundry will dry a lot faster, a combination of twice as much moisture being removed from the air and the larger airflow, which is a crucial factor when it comes to drying your clothes quickly and cheaply.

And don’t just take our word for it, here’s a review from a recent MeacoDry Arete® Two 25L Dehumidifier & Air Purifier customer:

“Only had a week, to combat condensation and damp walls in bedrooms. Have placed it on the landing and let it work its magic! Appears to be solving our issues. The water tank (4.5l) needs emptying roughly every 24hrs (30+l already)just where is it all coming from! We are still running it 24 hours and even the smart meter seems happy as it is always on green Laundry setting really good able to dry bedding in under the 6 hour timer. Noise level very low and night time button is a great idea. Would definitely recommend without hesitation” – 5 stars

For drying laundry, read our blog: How to save nearly £300 a year when drying your laundry with a MeacoDry Arete® One Dehumidifier and Air Purifier

What are the filter and air purifications options with a larger Arete®?

When you purchase a larger MeacoDry Arete® model, you still get all the amazing filter options. Within the box, you’ll receive a medical-grade H13 HEPA filter included which will purify the air and retain 99.75% of particles as small as 0.3 micrometers (μm) in diameter.

In fact, because the filters are larger with larger dehumidifiers, the increased airflow will also deliver cleaner air. This is because there is a larger surface area filtering the air and captured by the filters.

Browse our filters and dehumidifier spares, here.

Why buy a larger dehumidifier over a smaller one?

Traditionally, we would say a larger dehumidifier is best suited for larger properties. While this is absolutely true, so too is the improved performance, energy efficiency and versatility of having a larger model.

When you add together all the factors we’ve spoken about above, you can see why the MeacoDry Arete® 25L makes so much sense, even in smaller homes and flats.

In fact, we have noticed that our MeacoDry Arete® 20L Dehumidifier & Air Purifier outsells the entry level 10L model? So perhaps many customers have already worked this out!

Many of our reviews talk about energy efficiency. Here’s a recent customer who loves their MeacoDry Arete® Two 25L Dehumidifier & Air Purifier:

“I love the quietness and effectiveness of this machine, it’s changed my home for the better. Would highly recommend.” – 5 stars

And another, “Best model yet. It’s doing a great job at keeping condensation down. Brilliant performance!” – 5 stars

Browse our larger dehumidifiers, here.

We are always glad to hear our years of intensive research and engineering have created a dehumidifier which works like a dream in UK homes, especially during these challenging times of the cost-of-living crisis.

When you look at it like this you can see why consumers who have bought the MeacoDry Arete® 25L Dehumidifier & Air Purifier are so happy with their choice and they would never go back to a smaller machine.