Do Air Purifiers Use a Lot of Energy? About $2 per Month
How much electricity does an air purifier use per month? Is it going to rack up your power bill too much?
When you buy any home appliance, you always consider the cost of running it. And the air purifier is not any different.
The cost of running an air purifier depends on various things. One of them is the size of the appliance. The second thing is age. Older electrical appliances tend to consume more energy than newer ones. In that case, it is just best to replace it with a newer unit.
So, what is the electricity consumption of an air purifier? If an air purifier consumes 100 watts of electricity an hour in a place like Florida where the cost of electricity is 11.37¢/kWh, the cost of 100 watts per hour is equal to 1.14¢/kWh. If you run it for 24 hours, the electricity cost is 13.68¢
The most important thing is to know the cost per kWh of electricity in your state. Since the air purifier has its consumption rating indicated, you can then multiply the cost of 1 kWh by the rating of the air purifier.
Read: why is my dehumidifier blowing cold air?
Do air purifiers use a lot of electricity? Factors determining consumption
Several factors determine how much electricity your air purifier is going to consume. Here are a few of those factors:
Air purifier wattage
This is one of the main determinants of how much an air purifier can cost you. In the table that I have prepared above for you, you can see that the wattage for the units is from 45 to 130 watts.
Read: Is 70 percent humidity too high outside?
Actually, some air purifiers consume much less than 45 watts. Thus, the range of the electricity rating is 20 watts to 200 watts.
In the country, the cost of electricity is charged per kilowatt-hour (kWh). This information is easy to find in your state. For instance, in Seattle, the cost per kilowatt-hour is 11.7 cents, which is quite affordable.
Thus, to calculate the cost of running your air purifier, check the manufacturer’s wattage. If it is 80 watts, you should first convert that into kilowatt-hours. You do that by dividing it by 1000, since one kWh has 1000 watts.
Thus, it will be 80/1000 = 0.08 kWh.
Now, you need to calculate the cost of running the air purifier for one hour. You do that by multiplying the kWh of the unit by the average cost, which in Seattle is 11.7 cents per kilowatt-hour.
Thus, it will be 0.8 x 11.7 = 0.936 cents.
If you run this 80-watt unit for one hour, it will cost you 0.936 cents per hour. Now, if you run it for 12 hours,
It will be 0.936 x 12 = 11.232 cents. For 24 hours, it will be double that, which is 22.464.
In a year, this air purifier will cost you 22.464 x 365 = 81.9936 US dollars.
Air purifier fan speed
If you run your air purifier at high fan speed (which you can set manually for many units), it will consume more electricity as compared to when you run the fan at low speed.
Read: How do I stop humidifier white dust?
Now, you should know that for many air purifiers, the manufacturer’s wattage rating is for when the fan is running at maximum speed.
Since you cannot run the unit at full fan speed all the time, the cost will be much lower than we have projected in our numbers above. Mostly, a 60-watt air purifier can cost you between $35 and $60 or thereabouts.
Usage
If you live in a place such as Bakersfield in California, which leads to air pollution in the USA, you will need to run your air purifier longer than a person who lives in Phoenix, which is less polluted.
If you run your unit for 12 hours a day, you could end up spending more than $2.00 a day, depending on the wattage.
When you need to run it for a few hours only, you can spend even less than 50 cents a day.
How Much Electricity an Air Purifier Uses: FAQ
The saving grace is that air purifiers do not use a lot of electricity. In any case, it is recommended that you only set the low fan speed if you are running the unit 24/7. For a unit with an average wattage rating of 60W, it won’t cost you more than $100 per year.
These FAQs will help shed more light on this topic:
How much energy does an air purifier use?
We estimate that every year, a 20 to 45-watt air purifier will use at least $60 worth of energy. However, this could go up or down depending on how long you run the unit and what fan speed you choose.
Do air purifiers use a lot of energy?
Luckily, air purifiers are some of the most energy-efficient appliances you can have at home. They consume much less than a fridge.
Since you do not need to run it 24/7 in many instances, you spend even less money. Today’s units that are Energy Star certified use minimal energy. Check the air purifier’s wattage before buying.
Read: Why is my dehumidifier blowing hot air?
How much electricity does a Honeywell air purifier use?
The Honeywell HPA300 HEPA air purifier has a space rating of 465 sq. ft. and can use up to 0.13 kWh of energy, which is about 1.6 cents per hour when multiplied by the national average cost. Therefore, running it for 24 hours will cost you 38.4 cents.
Should I leave my air purifier on all the time?
If you live in a place with high air pollution, you can run your air purification unit 24/7. However, it is recommended that you set it at a low fan speed. As new pollutants come into your indoor space, the unit will remove them so that they don’t accumulate.
Should I sleep with an air purifier on?
Even when you are sleeping, you need to inhale clean air that is free of pollutants. You can sleep with a Dyson, Honeywell, Pure Enrichment, or LEVOIT air purifier on. However, know the best position to set the unit from your bed.
Does the Dyson air purifier use a lot of electricity?
Dyson makes some of the most energy-efficient air purifiers on the market. Do not be surprised if your unit consumes half to three-quarters of what the other brands consume. Also, check the air purifier’s watt rating. Lower is better.
How much does it cost to run an air purifier per month?
A 45-watt air purifier such as the LEVOIT Air Purifiers Core 300S can, on average, consume about 0.56 cents an hour. If you run it for the recommended 12 hours a day, that is 6.72 cents. In a month, that is 201.6 cents, or $2.016.
How long should I run an air purifier?
The general recommendation is 12 hours a day. However, if you live in a city with high pollution, you want to run it on a low fan speed setting 24 hours a day. Airborne contaminants will float in all day, so running a unit all the time ensures they do not accumulate.
What are the side effects of air purifiers?
Like everything else, air purifiers have their flip side too. For instance, they can cause throat irritation; some air purifiers produce ozone, and some can even cause shortness of breath and chest pains.
Final Thoughts
Running an air purifier will clean the air, and it will not send you to the poor house. To the question of how much electricity an air purifier uses, you now have a rough estimate. It will not rack up your power bills too much.
In the house, an air conditioner and heater are the main consumers of power, as they account for 46 percent of all the electricity usage in your home.
