The most energy-efficient dehumidifiers

What IEF is, and why it replaced the old metric

The old metric was Energy Factor, which measured only the energy used while the compressor was running. Integrated Energy Factor, adopted with the 2019 test procedure, includes the energy the machine uses when it has cycled off - standby, controls, the fan. That closed a real loophole, because a unit with a thirsty standby mode could post a good EF and cost you more in practice.

ENERGY STAR's own summary is that a certified dehumidifier is about 20 percent more efficient than a non-certified one. The current specification took effect on 1 October 2025.

The real spread, measured across the whole certified list

Read the class rows rather than the whole table. Within a capacity class the range is narrow: 443 to 490 W across 164 certified 50-pint models, 293 to 318 W across 21 certified 30-32 pint ones. A big-sounding efficiency difference between two 50-pint machines is usually a few percent.

Where efficiency genuinely varies is between classes and at the extremes. The ENERGY STAR Most Efficient list contains portable units certified at IEF 2.20 and ducted whole-home units at 2.35 - and the crawl space AlorAir on this page hits 2.08 while removing 36 pints, which beats the 50-pint class median of 2.01.

Quick picks

#	Product	Best for	Draw	Price
1	hOmeLabs 32 Pint DehumidifierThe one hOmeLabs unit with a named entry in the ENERGY STAR list, so it is the one where the running cost is a published figure rather than a class estimate.	A bedroom that is damp but not wet	318 W	Check price on Amazon #ad How we are funded
2	AlorAir Sentinel HD55 Crawl Space DehumidifierThe clearest example on this site of why the number on the box is not the number that matters: sold as 113 pints, certified at 36.33.	A crawl space you cannot stand up in	344 W	Check price on Amazon #ad How we are funded
3	Midea Cube 50 Pint DehumidifierThe only unit here that solves the real basement problem, which is not capacity but where the water goes when you are not standing next to it.	A basement you visit once a month	487 W	Check price on Amazon #ad How we are funded
4	GE ENERGY STAR 50 Pint DehumidifierThe same 50-pint platform as the pump model with the pump removed, which makes it the cheaper choice when the water can simply run downhill.	A garage or shop with a floor drain	487 W	Check price on Amazon #ad How we are funded
5	Waykar 30 Pint ENERGY STAR DehumidifierA small-footprint unit sized for one room, and one of the cheapest ways to buy an ENERGY STAR Most Efficient claim at this capacity.	An apartment or a single damp room	Not published	Check price on Amazon #ad How we are funded

1

hOmeLabs

hOmeLabs 32 Pint Dehumidifier

Best for: A bedroom that is damp but not wet

The one hOmeLabs unit with a named entry in the ENERGY STAR list, so it is the one where the running cost is a published figure rather than a class estimate.

Average draw

318 W

Computed from the ENERGY STAR certified entry hOmeLabs HME0089: 32.46 pt/day at IEF 2.01 L/kWh. This is the only hOmeLabs capacity in this registry with a named certified entry, which is why it is the only one carrying a number rather than a band.

What is good

• +318 W against the 50-pint class median of 488 W - about 35% less to run, hour for hour
• +Named in the ENERGY STAR certified list, so its IEF is public
• +Quiet enough for a bedroom in a way that a 50-pint compressor generally is not
• +Wi-Fi and auto shut-off at a small-unit price

What is not

• -32 DOE pints is genuinely less water than 50 - undersizing a wet basement costs more than the machine saved
• -Gravity drainage only
• -4,500 sq ft coverage for 32 pints is another claim to ignore

Who it is for

A bedroom, a home office, or a small basement that is humid rather than actively wet.

Skip it if

Skip it if the floor is ever damp to the touch or the walls sweat. That is a 50-pint problem, and a 32-pint machine will run continuously and still lose.

2

AlorAir

AlorAir Sentinel HD55 Crawl Space Dehumidifier

Best for: A crawl space you cannot stand up in

The clearest example on this site of why the number on the box is not the number that matters: sold as 113 pints, certified at 36.33.

Average draw

344 W

Computed from the ENERGY STAR certified entry ALORAIR Sentinel HD55S: 36.33 pt/day at IEF 2.08 L/kWh, 379 kWh a year. The retail listing is the HD55; the certified entry carries the S suffix. At IEF 2.08 it is more efficient than the median 50-pint portable while removing about three quarters as much water.

What is good

• +Built low and flat to fit between floor joists, which no portable unit does
• +Auto defrost and low-temperature operation, both essential in an unheated crawl space
• +IEF 2.08 is above the 50-pint class median of 2.01 despite the smaller capacity
• +No tank at all, so there is nothing to forget to empty

What is not

• -The 113-pint headline is a saturation figure at 95F and 90% RH; the DOE-condition rating is 36.33
• -1,200 sq ft coverage, less than most 50-pint portables claim, for considerably more money
• -Needs a drain or a condensate pump - there is no bucket fallback

Who it is for

Crawl spaces, low-clearance basements and unheated storage where a standing portable will not fit or will freeze.

Skip it if

Skip it for a normal basement. A 50-pint portable removes more water at the DOE condition for less money; you are paying for the form factor and the temperature range.

3

Midea

Midea Cube 50 Pint Dehumidifier

Best for: A basement you visit once a month

The only unit here that solves the real basement problem, which is not capacity but where the water goes when you are not standing next to it.

Average draw

487 W

Computed from the ENERGY STAR certified entry for Midea MAD50S1QWT-A, the 50 pt / 4,500 sq ft Cube without a pump: 49.67 pt/day at IEF 2.01 L/kWh. Midea's own US product page confirms MAD50S1QWT-A is this configuration. Midea publishes no wattage on the Amazon listing or on that page.

What is good

• +The body separates, so the tank half can sit lower than the compressor half and the hose gets a genuine downhill run
• +Certified at 49.67 pt/day, which is a real 50-pint machine rather than a saturation number
• +IEF 2.01 L/kWh puts it exactly on the median for the 50-pint class - neither a bargain nor a penalty
• +Wi-Fi that tells you it has stopped, which is the only smart feature that matters in a basement

What is not

• -No pump, so the drain has to run downhill the whole way
• -Midea publishes no wattage anywhere, so the 487 W above is computed rather than quoted
• -The 4,500 sq ft coverage claim is marketing, not a spec - see the sizing guide

Who it is for

Someone with a floor drain, a sump, or a window well lower than the machine, who wants to set it once and stop thinking about it.

Skip it if

Skip it if the only drain in the room is higher than the unit. Without a pump, gravity is the entire drainage system, and no setting fixes an uphill hose.

4

GE

GE ENERGY STAR 50 Pint Dehumidifier

Best for: A garage or shop with a floor drain

The same 50-pint platform as the pump model with the pump removed, which makes it the cheaper choice when the water can simply run downhill.

Average draw

487 W

Computed from the ENERGY STAR certified entry GE ADSE50X: 49.64 pt/day at IEF 2.01 L/kWh. Same certified platform as the pump variant - removing the pump does not change the DOE capacity or the IEF, so it does not change the computed draw.

What is good

• +Identical certified capacity and efficiency to the pump model at a lower price
• +Clean-filter alert, which is the maintenance nobody remembers to do
• +Auto defrost, so it keeps working in a cold garage rather than icing solid
• +Simple enough to be repairable

What is not

• -Gravity drainage only
• -No published wattage from GE
• -No app or timer if you want scheduled running

Who it is for

A garage, workshop or utility room with a floor drain and no interest in connectivity.

Skip it if

Skip it below about 41F. Every compressor unit on this page loses capacity as the coil approaches freezing - that is when a desiccant machine starts to win.

5

Waykar

Waykar 30 Pint ENERGY STAR Dehumidifier

Best for: An apartment or a single damp room

A small-footprint unit sized for one room, and one of the cheapest ways to buy an ENERGY STAR Most Efficient claim at this capacity.

Average draw

Not published

No published wattage. The certified 30-32 pint class runs 293-318 W with a median of 318 W across 21 certified models, and Waykar's own certified CTH120 series sits at 318 W.

What is good

• +Small enough to live in a closet or beside a washer without being in the way
• +Roughly a third less power than a 50-pint unit for a room that does not need one
• +Continuous drainage supported, not just the bucket
• +The most sensible coverage claim in this registry relative to its capacity

What is not

• -0.62 gallon tank, the smallest here
• -No published wattage
• -30 DOE pints is not a basement machine

Who it is for

Apartments, bedrooms, and single rooms where the humidity is a comfort problem rather than a structural one.

Skip it if

Skip it for anything below grade. A basement will beat it, and an undersized machine runs constantly, which costs more than the bigger one would have.

Four things that save more than IEF does

1. 1Correct sizing. An undersized unit runs at full draw permanently because it never hits its target. This dwarfs every other factor on this page.
2. 2A realistic humidity target. Holding 50% rather than 40% cuts run time substantially, and 50% is inside the EPA's recommended 30 to 50 percent band anyway.
3. 3Sealing the space. A basement window left open, or a garage door with a failed seal, admits humid air faster than the machine removes it. It is free and it is the single biggest lever most people have.
4. 4A clean filter. A clogged filter starves the coil, which drops extraction while the machine keeps drawing full power. Efficiency falls without the wattage falling. Cleaning and maintenance.