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Original poster

Will dehumidifiers make the house warmer?

32 replies

Debbiedoodah · 03/08/2022 08:05

Trying to get things in advance of the winter to lower my energy costs and getting things when on sale or second hand.

I want to get a dehumidifier so I don't leave my clothes to dry over the radiators - thought this would be straightforward, ok get a small one. However. In researching about them I've heard some people say they make their house overall warmer so the thermostat can go down - if you have one have you found that and if so does that mean I need to get a large whole of house/20l one?

Also got an electric blanket and air fryer,any other purchases that could help?

OP posts:
thebellagio · 03/08/2022 08:08

I’ve just bought myself a second oodie. They are 50% off right now in the summer sale, so I figured I would get it now

CakeCrumbs44 · 03/08/2022 08:09

They make the air dryer which can make it feel warmer - damp feels cold. The one we had did blow out warm air so if it was in a small space it would make that room feel warmer but they're not that hot , it wouldn't make a whole house feel much warmer IMO

Summerofcontent · 03/08/2022 08:10

I dry my washing on a camping type washing line, in a fairly small room using a dehumidifier. It has a washing drying setting and yes it makes that room quite warm but dries the washing very quickly.

I also have one in the loft room to stop condensation, it stops it feeling so cold up there.

Lemonlemon88 · 03/08/2022 08:10

Ours is great for drying our washing on a rack and they are cheaper to run then a dryer plus you don’t have damp washing around the house for days…. but I don’t think it makes the house warmer. We have a large one and can dry two racks of washing with it at a time.

gillybean2 · 03/08/2022 08:15

I have one with a laundry setting that does warm up more on that setting to help dry clothes in a rack very close to it. It’s the equivalent of running a very small fridge, which generates heat to cool. It’s not like running a radiator and it’s never helped heat my house to the point I’d not need heating on instead.

Discovereads · 03/08/2022 08:21

Honestly, if you’re looking for a dehumidifier to offset the damp caused by drying clothes in the house, it may be worth looking at a condensing tumble dryer. You avoid the damp, and these dryers actually blow dry warm air into the room so are a heat source in themselves.

To dehumidify a couple rooms, you will need at least a medium-sized dehumidifier with capacities of 11 to 25 pints which use an average of 1.22 kWh of electricity per day or 455.3 KWh per year

In comparison, an eco-efficient condenser tumble dryer with heat pump technology uses less than 300 KWh per year:
Bosch Series 4 WTW85231GB 8Kg Heat Pump Tumble Dryer- 236 KWh/year
SAMSUNG DV80TA020AX/EU 8 kg Heat Pump Tumble Dryer- 235 KWh/year

Original poster
Debbiedoodah · 03/08/2022 08:48

Does anyone have any recommendations?

OP posts:
DrDreReturns · 03/08/2022 08:50

Yes they do. They put out a bit of heat. Bear in mind they are fairly expensive to run - They make my smart meter go up a bit when they are on.

AbsoluteShambles · 03/08/2022 08:50

Marginally. But it doesn’t change my thermostat settings or anything.

I do love mine for drying clothes though. I can’t bear that smell when they don’t dry quickly enough.

sunsetsandsandybeaches · 03/08/2022 08:56

They do but they're not cheap to run.

RiverSkater · 03/08/2022 08:57

Yes, and your bills will go through the roof. Well ours did.

Get a heated airier?

Allthegoodnamesarechosen · 03/08/2022 09:05

I’ve used dehumidifiers in three houses. The aim was to reduce damp, though, as it was causing mould to grow on wall and window frames at an alarming rate. Two were Cotswold stone houses, in one it was too old to have a damp course. The other one was a complete basement level which was partly buried.

they were very effective at reducing damp! They cut down in the mould growing very noticeably. One of them had a clothes drying function which I used when it was too cold or wet for outside drying. The only room which was warmed was rather small room they were in. This is because they don’t work by drying the air by heating it, but by extracting water. You have to empty them fairly often. The one in the basement was in a hot country, it did not heat the room up noticeably thank heavens.

The best drying solution was a dry bunny which is like a hall stand with a heated cover. I was amazed at how effective it was. It takes up little space and we used to hang coats on it when it wasn’t being used for drying.
I got it it from Argos, I think

ErrolTheDragon · 03/08/2022 09:10

Yes, they will add a bit of heating. Not enough to actually heat a house but might mean you can turn down the central heating thermostat a notch if it's in a room you're using more than others.
Anything that has an energy input will cause some heating, with a dehumidifier you've also got the latent heat of water condensing.
It means that though they're expensive to run the overall effect may not be quite as bad as it appears on first glance. We've got one, DH is planning to measure its energy usage (we've got one of those plug things so can check devices separately) and water output and do the calculations ... his idea of fun.Grin

mycatisannoying · 03/08/2022 09:43

I have a Meaco eco dehumidifier. It's a Which Best Buy. My smart meter monitor remains at 'green' when it's running, and it doesn't affect my bills overly at all.

Dotjones · 03/08/2022 09:52

They might put out a little bit of heat but it's nothing noticeable in my experience. They are expensive to run and even the quiet models are noisy. For me it's worth it, I usually have one running 24/7 from October to March... fortunately my electricity rates are fixed this winter but not sure if I'll be able to run it next year. It was one of these DeLonghi ones, a lot quieter than my old Argos one and uses just under 500W per hour (half a unit of electricity). So at the current price cap that's £3.60 per day or so, and will rise in October. Adds up very quickly.

OliviaBond · 03/08/2022 10:08

There are two types of dehumidifier. One will warm the room slightly but is more expensive to run. The other won't warm it and is cheaper to run.

mycatisannoying · 03/08/2022 10:23

The other thing is OP, that they will switch themselves off once the desired level of humidity is in the air. They seldom actually end up running 24/7.

PeloAddict · 03/08/2022 10:34

RiverSkater · 03/08/2022 08:57

Yes, and your bills will go through the roof. Well ours did.

Get a heated airier?

Mine actually seems cheaper than my heated airer as clothes dry quicker!

ErrolTheDragon · 03/08/2022 10:54

If you just have a heated airer, you'll end up with damp air and more condensation in the house, which may be a problem if your other rooms are cooler.
We have a heated airer and a dehumidifier. The comparator is vs a tumble dryer.

RedWingBoots · 03/08/2022 11:27

Unfortunately I can't give you a model number as the one I have had for years is from Homebase and the same model isn't made anymore. I did also have a Meaco one that had a timer but that broke after 3 years of using it from Autumn to Spring.

Anyway you don't need to run them all day every day unless you live in a place with lots of condensation/damp. You can just run one when you want to dry washing. I've stayed in a B&B which was in a very old farmhouse and they had one running near the bathroom, which switched on after someone had a shower.

Alexandra2001 · 03/08/2022 11:36

Debbiedoodah · 03/08/2022 08:48

Does anyone have any recommendations?

Yes get a Desiccant one, the refrigeration ones are useless if your house is very cold.

Had a Meaco one in my old house, it was fantastic, very quiet and would warm the place too, we had economy 7 so had it on over night.

Energy was far cheaper so costs didn't come into it, didn't seem to add much as we could turn down heating.

Get a condensing tumble drier, if you don't need to use it much, don't pay the extra for a pump one, they are 2 or 3x the cost, my Beko one cost 200 and is brilliant but i only use it once a week tops (in winter) for an hour or so.

GreenManalishi · 03/08/2022 11:39

Heated airer with a cover, winter clothes drying miracle, I don't use my tumble dryer since getting this.

Littleduck80 · 03/08/2022 11:46

I have an old dehumidifier I use for drying clothes when I can't hang them outside and I swear by it. I chuck it in the room with the clothes hanging on airers, turn it on and shut the door. When I go in later the room is very warm, but that's because it's all contained in one small space with the door shut. The washing dries so much quicker than without it, plus we don't get any damp.
Ours will run until we either turn it off or the collection bucket is full (quite impressive seeing the amount of moisture it takes in, which I then use to water plants.
Our is probably about 15 years old so couldn't recommend a model

coastalguy · 08/08/2022 05:20

If you are looking for energy savings adding an electrical appliance like a dehumidifier will just increase your bills, but they do make sense if you are having drying or condensation problems with winter washing.

The dehumidifier works a bit like your fridge with the door open, it has a cold plate that moist air condenses onto, these drips are collected in a reservoir which you can dispose of. The compressor that makes the plate cold produces heat so a small heat gain is produced whenever the dehumidifier turns itself on.

A better way might be to dry washing outside whenever possible, when its not possible hang the washing up high, spaced apart at the highest possible level (hot air rises and it makes sense to use this paid for heat sitting near the ceiling). Use a ceiling fixed drying rack or (my favourite) a couple of folding wall mounted drying hangers mounted over a radiator in a lightly used room (drying washing isn't great to look) at and the dehumidifier will work better drying the air in a small area with the door shut than trying to dry the air of your whole house.
A cheap way to accelerate drying is to use the desk fan you use in summer to create a breeze to dry your washing quickly (washing dries more quickly on warm windy days).

If you do the above you will find it possible to dry clothes/sheets in the time it takes to wash the next load.

Think a little about washing and drying when you buy new clothes and towels. if you go for fleece clothing, travel towels and technical wicking shirts/vests then these come out of the washing machine virtually dry, needing just a few minutes airing before being usable. They are also very cheap at present with a large bath towel costing from £8 as shops get ready for the new seasons stock.

Hope this helps