- Cost in the United States
- $47 a year
- Capacity
- 25 pints/day
- Pump
- Not published
3 picks that fit
How we pick- Cost in the United States
- $62 a year
- Capacity
- 35 pints/day
- Pump
- Not published
- Cost in the United States
- $87 a year
- Capacity
- 50 pints/day
- Pump
- Not published
How we pick. One pick per level, from the top of its ENERGY STAR range: 25–30 pints when damp, 35–40 when very damp, and 45–50 when wet. Each is sold by a store we link to. The lowest yearly energy use wins, then the higher efficiency. Stores never pay for a place.
Three levels of damp
2,000 sq ft, by how damp it is
The tiles use the ranges for spaces under 2,000 sq ft. Each cost applies the average home electricity price in the United States to the median EPA yearly energy of the certified portables in the range.
Damp · 50–75% humidity
20–30 pints a day
$52 a year at the median, 285 kWh
157 modelsVery damp · 75–90% humidity
25–40 pints a day
$63 a year at the median, 343 kWh
125 modelsWet · 90–100% humidity
30–50 pints a day
$93 a year at the median, 507 kWh
243 models
Sizes: ENERGY STAR sizing table, read Oct 5, 2026. Models and energy: EPA list of Oct 15, 2026.
Questions
What people ask before buying
Is 2,000 sq ft over or under the line?
Right on it. Under 2,000 sq ft, the ENERGY STAR table suggests 20–30, 25–40, or 30–50 pints a day. Over it, 30+, 40+, or 50+. For a wet space this size, a 50-pint unit fits both.
ENERGY STAR sizing guidance, read Oct 5, 2026Portable or whole-house for 2,000 sq ft?
A portable dries the room it stands in. A whole-house unit is ducted to every room. The largest certified portables are rated 50 pints a day. The 21 certified whole-house units go from 52 to 172. Whole-house vs portable compares the two side by side.
They also remove more water per kWh: a median efficiency (IEF) of 2.35 L/kWh, against 2.01 for 45–50 pint portables.
EPA list, Oct 15, 2026What does a wet 2,000 sq ft space cost to dry?
With a typical certified 30–50 pint portable, 507 kWh a year: $93 at the U.S. average price and $243 in Hawaii.
EPA list, Oct 15, 2026 · EIA, July 2026Before you order
Check before you buy
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Related
Other guides
Dehumidifier for 1,000 sq ftSize guideDehumidifier for 1,500 sq ftSize guideBasement dehumidifierGuideSize calculatorTool
Data: U.S. EPA certified dehumidifiers list (updated Oct 15, 2026, checked Oct 16, 2026); U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A (July 2026). How we compare · Report an error