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State guideHawaii

Best dehumidifier for Hawaii: the size, and what it costs to run

All six NOAA stations here count 12 humid months a year, and electricity costs more than anywhere else in the U.S. So a thrifty unit saves more here than in any other state.

By Julien Fourel · How we compare

Updated Oct 16, 2026NOAAEPAEIA

3 picks that fit

How we pick

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.

Month by month

Six Hawaii weather stations, month by month

Each cell is the month’s normal dew point, the temperature the air must cool to before water condenses out of it. Over the year, it stays between 62°F and 70°F at every station. From June to November, all six sit at 65°F or above.

  • Dry, 55°F or less
  • Sticky, 56–64°F
  • Becoming oppressive, 65°F and up
  • Humid months a year
Normal dew point in °F, by month, and humid months a year, at six NOAA stations in Hawaii
StationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Lihue, Kauai12 humid months 636364656769707070696765
Honolulu, Oahu12 humid months 636263646566676868686665
Kaneohe Bay, Oahu12 humid months 646464656768697070696866
Molokai12 humid months 626262636466676868676664
Kahului, Maui12 humid months 636263646566676868676664
Hilo, Hawaii Island12 humid months 636264656667686968686765

A humid month is one where outdoor air, brought to 65°F, tops 60% humidity. Across all six NOAA stations in Hawaii, the median is 12 humid months a year, the most of any state. Every state is in our study, and each city above opens in the humidity tool.

Dew point: NOAA hourly normals, 1991-2020, read Oct 5, 2026. Scale: National Weather Service, Dew Point vs Humidity, read Oct 5, 2026.

Homes here

How Hawaii homes are cooled

Hawaii homes cool room by room, when they cool at all: 43% use no air conditioning. Each figure sits next to the U.S. one.

  • Use central air

    12%

    U.S. 67%

  • Use no air conditioning

    43%

    U.S. 11%

  • Use room units

    48%

    U.S. 26%

    Window, wall, ductless, or portable

  • Use a dehumidifier

    7%

    U.S. 17%

  • Have a basement

    7%

    U.S. 30%

    Out of all homes. Apartments and mobile homes weren’t asked.

  • Average cooled area

    462sq ft

    U.S. 1,335 sq ft

    Out of 1,452 sq ft in all

Shares are of occupied primary homes, areas are averages per home. U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS), state data, state tables published March 2023, read Oct 6, 2026. The EIA notes that gaps between states may not be statistically significant.

Three levels of damp

1,452 sq ft, by how damp it is

The tiles use the average Hawaii home, 1,452 sq ft in the EIA’s 2020 survey. Each cost applies the average home electricity price in Hawaii to the median EPA yearly energy of the certified portables in the range.

  • Damp · 50–75% humidity

    20–30 pints a day

    $137 a year at the median, 285 kWh

    157 models

  • Very damp · 75–90% humidity

    25–40 pints a day

    $165 a year at the median, 343 kWh

    125 models

  • Wet · 90–100% humidity

    30–50 pints a day

    $243 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.

Running cost here

What it costs to run in Hawaii

Hawaii pays 2.6 times the U.S. average for home electricity. Each row uses the EPA’s yearly estimate for a typical certified portable of its range.

Home price, July 2026

48.00¢a kWh

The highest of the 50 states and DC. U.S. average: 18.31¢.

U.S. Hawaii
Yearly cost of the median certified portable in each ENERGY STAR range, in Hawaii and at the U.S. average, and over 11 years in Hawaii
RangeHawaiiU.S. average11 years here
Damp20–30 pints $137 $52 $1,507
Very damp25–40 pints $165 $63 $1,815
Wet30–50 pints $243 $93 $2,673

By the EPA’s yearly estimates, the thriftiest certified 45–50 pint model uses 438 kWh, and a typical one of the 156 uses 520. In Hawaii, that gap is worth $39 a year, or $429 over 11 years.

Energy: EPA list of Oct 15, 2026. Prices: EIA, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, July 2026, applied to a full year. Lifetime: Department of Energy estimate for a portable, Jun 13, 2016.

Questions

What people ask before buying

Is a dehumidifier worth it in Hawaii?

In a room that stays damp, yes. Outdoor air here is damp all year. Computed from NOAA normals, its humidity runs between 64% and 80% in every month at all six stations.

Air conditioning, which the EPA lists as a way to lower humidity, is rarer here: 43% of homes use none, against 11% nationwide. So check indoors. If a hygrometer reads above 60%, the EPA’s ceiling, a dehumidifier brings the room down.

NOAA hourly normals, 1991-2020 · EIA, Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2020 · EPA, A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home, updated Feb 18, 2026
Can I run a dehumidifier with the windows open?

It works against you. ENERGY STAR says to keep the room’s doors and windows closed while the unit runs. With them open, it keeps drying fresh outdoor air.

Here, that air never turns dry. The lowest monthly dew point at the six stations is 62°F, above the 55°F the National Weather Service calls dry. Pick a room you can close, and run it there.

ENERGY STAR, Dehumidifiers buying guidance, read Oct 5, 2026 · NOAA hourly normals, 1991-2020
How much will a dehumidifier add to my electric bill?

About $137 to $243 a year, by size, at the EPA medians and the July 2026 Hawaii price. That’s 2.6 times what the same unit costs at the U.S. average.

Over the 11 years the Department of Energy expects a portable to last, it adds up to $1,507 to $2,673. So in Hawaii, check each model’s yearly kWh as closely as its price.

EPA list, Oct 15, 2026 · EIA, July 2026 · DOE final rule on dehumidifier standards, Federal Register, June 13, 2016
Is it okay to run a dehumidifier 24 hours a day?

That depends on the room more than the unit. Every certified model has a built-in humidistat: it stops at your setting and starts again when the air turns damp.

With the windows open, fresh damp air keeps coming in, so it may barely stop. Close them, and set it no lower than you need. The EPA range tops out at 50%.

ENERGY STAR, Dehumidifiers buying guidance, read Oct 5, 2026 · EPA, A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home, updated Feb 18, 2026
What size dehumidifier for a Hawaii home?

Size it for the space you want dry. Only 7% of Hawaii homes have a basement, against 30% nationwide. Air conditioning is mostly unit by unit: 48% of homes use window, wall, ductless, or portable units, and 12% central air.

Room or whole house, the range is the same under 2,000 sq ft. ENERGY STAR suggests 20–30 pints a day if it smells musty now and then. Damp spots call for 25–40, sweating walls for 30–50.

EIA, Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2020 · ENERGY STAR sizing guidance, read Oct 5, 2026

Before you order

Check before you buy

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Related

Other guides

Humidity and cost by stateStudyRunning cost in HawaiiToolDehumidifier for homeGuideDehumidifier for moldGuide

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); NOAA hourly climate normals (1991-2020); EIA, Residential Energy Consumption Survey (2020). How we compare · Report an error

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