Can a dehumidifier save energy?

Legacy_user

Hi everyone

I've read that drier air needs less energy to heat up, (since water has a high specific heat capacity) so could I save on my heating bill more than a dehumidifier would cost to run?

P.s. was looking into them for dustmite reasons, so would run all year, but it's an easier decision if I make a saving! I was hesitant because of my dry skin but I do have dustmite allergy

Thank you

badmemory

I don't know whether it would actually save energy, but I do know that it can make the surroundings more comfortable. It also reduces the damp/removes the mould from a bathroom that reaches 99% (the max) humidity after my son has had a shower. If you are using an extractor fan then the dehumidifier is much more efficient & in our case doesn't cause draughts all through the house.


My only regret is that I bought a cheap one from Aldi (this is not a complaint it is really good) instead of splashing out on one that had an internal humidity meter & would cut itself off. This is definitely not the usual case of buy cheap buy twice - just if I had known how useful it really was going to be I would have got a more automated one so I didn't have to remember to turn it off. (see my username!)

tacpot12

In a normal house, the difference in energy required to heat dry and humid air is smaller than the energy required to run the dehumidifier due to the heated air leaking out of the property. If you have a Passivhaus, a dehumifier might save a little money, but at the expense of the property being very dry. An over-dry property can be unpleasant to live in, e.g. waking up with a very dry throat. Humans rarely notice that a house is too humid until it starts to create condensation and mould.

coffeehound

There's also the effect where (in winter weather) people perceive dry air as being cooler than humid air, and so turn up the room 'stat.

System

Thank you for responses, from my research it seems worth paying more for one with cutoffs, like if the room gets too dry, for both energy and health sakes. Ultimately I'm prepared to lose money if it makes my eczema better - I have a definite dustmite allergy but also dry skin. I think setting a limit like 40% humidity should be enough to deal with the mites without harming me. Until I can afford it, and to get a sense of it I might buy some of those £1 disposable dessicant things you can get

JJ_Egan

Doubt if that will kill dust mites .Get some good advice on that as dust mites can live in areas that you are not going to reach .



Allergy try Fexofenadine from GP .

badmemory

Dust mites do thrive less well in a drier atmosphere. So whilst a dehumidifier will not get rid of them it may make their surrounding less pleasant for them. We keep our house generally at around 40-45%.

System

I think any improvement is worth it, and 40% wouldn't be unbearable, so think I will, I've been flaring up in the heat because I've read that they thrive in warm weather and I think my skin pores open more, making the skin more vulnerable, I find a mattress protector that zips up at the back is profoundly better than one that sits on the top, and if like to change bedding more than once a week if I could (maybe when little one grown a bit). I do feel a bit humid in here with this weather, so I think I will

When it first started i used to be in a flat drying laundry on a clothes horse inside, and we had damp from the chimney and mould, I think it was also a bit too much for my system and regard how it started. When I moved the asthma almost completely cleared, but not the eczema. We've got wood floors downstairs and I don't sit on the sofa because that makes me flare

Tardis4

Can sympathise as we've had the same exact problem, wet flat = eczema and asthma symptoms but eczema taking longer to resolve. Dehumidifiers aren't for summer unless you live in a cold house though as they put out warm air - I tried it on a humid day but it was awful. I loved our Ebac 2650, not such a great fan of the 3650 we replaced it with - more expensive yet more cheaply made. We wash sheets minimum of every 7 days as I've read that dust mite poo builds up to allergy-inducing levels after 5 days.

Tardis4

Also, I am sure our dehumidifier has saved us loads of money as we rarely have to put the heating on in the winter, having said that, we live in a well-insulated flat with underfloor heating thanks to neighbours below (:

System

Thank you Tardis, used to live in a flat and asthma cleared as soon as I moved out of there, and they are humid places when drying washing indoors. For summer I might just use those disposable dessicant things you can buy for a pound

It's not perfect but I find the mattress protectors that completely encase the mattress and zip up (got mine from dunelm) far better than ones that don't completely seal. I would sleep on the wooden floor if it got too bad, I'd sooner so that than sleep on the sofa.

I have heard of an ultrasonic thing that disrupts their breeding, but one reviewer said it attracted other bugs to it

I've also read that hospital mattresses are good (about £100 for a single new one) as they are completely sealed in plastic, when I have some money I'll buy one for when I get turned out the bed

If I had my way is swap my sofa for a bench, could get a plastic one perhaps.