Dr. Prepare DDH12LA dehumidifier: specs and cost to run

Our read

Who it suits

At 9 pints a day, the DDH12LA sits below the smallest size in the ENERGY STAR table. That size is 20 pints, for a damp room under 2,000 sq ft. It’s one of the cheaper models of its size to run.

By Julien Fourel · How we compare

Updated Oct 16, 2026

9 pints a day

Where that fits on the ENERGY STAR sizing table

How damp the space is	Under 2,000 sq ft	Over 2,000 sq ft
DampSmells musty now and then50–75% RH	Too small20–30 pints suggested	Too small30+ pints suggested
Very dampDamp spots on walls or floor75–90% RH	Too small25–40 pints suggested	Too small40+ pints suggested
WetWalls sweat or water seeps in90–100% RH	Too small30–50 pints suggested	Too small50+ pints suggested

Capacity suggested for each case, read Oct 5, 2026. ENERGY STAR adds that it’s better to oversize than undersize.

Running cost

Among the thriftier 13-pint and smaller models

It uses 12 kWh a year less than the median 13-pint and smaller model. Over 11 years, the DOE’s average life for a portable, that’s about $24 saved in the United States.

How long dehumidifiers last

Ask before you buy

Ask for a noise figure

Our sources publish no noise level for the DDH12LA. If it runs where you sleep or work, ask for a figure in dB(A), with the distance it was measured from.

Quiet dehumidifier guide

From the data

Where it stands

Its 105 kWh a year is 12 kWh less than the median for its size.
Its refrigerant is R-290.
No Wi-Fi app.Not listed as connected.
Of the 28 certified 13-pint and smaller portables, none uses less energy, and 8 use exactly as much.It shares the lowest figure of its size, 105 kWh a year.
At 1.93 liters per kWh, it clears the federal minimum for its class by 48%.The DOE sets 1.30 L/kWh for portables rated 25 pints a day or less. Every unit made since June 13, 2019, must meet it.
The smallest portable certified under the Dr. Prepare name. Next up is the DDH20LF, at 16 pints.That one uses 76 kWh a year more.
On the market since May 2026, newer than 68% of the 13-pint and smaller models on the list.Certified in May 2026, one of the 97 models certified in the last six months.
On the EPA’s Most Efficient list, like 17 other 13-pint and smaller models.
Another brand near this size: the Kegian KE-HY9DE003, at 9 pints and 105 kWh a year.Both cost the same to run in the United States.

Our arithmetic

One full day of drying

Water

1.1gal

9 pints

Electricity

2.2kWh

liters ÷ IEF

Cost

$0.40

in the United States

Run for a whole day at its rating, the DDH12LA removes 9 pints, about 1.1 gallons, on roughly 2.2 kWh. In the United States, that’s $0.40.

Divide the EPA’s 105 kWh a year by one full day’s use, and you get roughly 48 days. Past that, each day at full output adds $0.40 to the bill.

The DOE test behind those 9 pints runs at 65°F and 60% humidity. At the same humidity, a cooler basement gets less water out of the DDH12LA.

Without a hose or a pump, someone has to carry out 1.1 gallons a day. Our sources don’t say whether the DDH12LA has a bucket, or how much it holds.

Plan the drain

Running cost

Cost in your state

Your state

105 kWh a year × the home electricity price of each state.

Prices: EIA, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, July 2026. Lowest and highest of the 50 states and DC shown.
State	Price	Per year
Louisiana (lowest)	12.72¢	$13
U.S. average	18.31¢	$19
U.S. average	18.31¢	$19
California	33.61¢	$35
Hawaii (highest)	48.00¢	$50

All 50 states and DC

Safety

Recalls

No CPSC recall names this model.Checked Oct 4, 2026.

No CPSC dehumidifier recall names RNG International.

Every number has a source

Where the numbers come from

U.S. EPAOct 15, 2026

Capacity, energy use, refrigerant, filing company, certification.

Record 4611894 · certified May 11, 2026

U.S. Energy Information AdministrationJuly 2026

Home electricity price in each state.

Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A

Code of Federal RegulationsOct 7, 2026

Federal minimum efficiency for each size of dehumidifier.

10 CFR 430.32(v), as of Jan 1, 2025

Consumer Product Safety CommissionOct 4, 2026

Recalls of dehumidifiers.

No recall naming this company

Not published by these sources

Pump and pump lift
Noise, dB(A)
Bucket size
Lowest working temperature
Dimensions
Warranty

Found a number that looks wrong?Report it

Full spec sheet

All the details

How much water it removes2 of 3 published

Water removed a dayDOE 2019 test (Appendix X1): 9 pints EPA
Type: Portable EPA
Room size covered: Not published

Drainage0 of 4 published

Bucket size: Not published
Drain hose connection: Not published
Built-in pump: Not published
Pump lift: Not published

Running cost3 of 3 published

Energy useEPA yearly estimate: 105 kWh/yr EPA
Integrated energy factor (IEF)Liters removed per kWh. Higher is better: 1.93 L/kWh EPA
Cost a year in the United States: $19 EPA × EIA

Noise0 of 1 published

Noise level, dB(A): Not published

Build and warranty2 of 6 published

Refrigerant: R-290, 1.8 oz EPA
Wi-Fi app: No EPA
Lowest working temperature: Not published
Dimensions: Not published
Weight: Not published
Warranty: Not published

Certification and filing4 of 5 published

ENERGY STAR® certified: May 11, 2026 EPA
On the market since: May 11, 2026 EPA
Filed byCompany that filed the model with the EPA: RNG International EPA
Sold in: United States, Canada EPA
UPC: Not published

Compare

Similar 9-pint models

Certified portables of the same size with a full page, closest in yearly energy use.

Waykar

CTH30A

Capacity

9 pints

Cost a year in the United States

$21

Pump

Not published

Noise

Not published

ENERGY STAR® certified

Waykar

PD160B

Capacity

10 pints

Cost a year in the United States

$22

Pump

Not published

Noise

Not published

ENERGY STAR® certified

Most searched guides

Tools

Dr. Prepare DDH12LA

Who it suits

Where that fits on the ENERGY STAR sizing table

Among the thriftier 13-pint and smaller models

Ask for a noise figure

Where it stands

One full day of drying

Cost in your state

Recalls

Where the numbers come from

All the details

Similar 9-pint models

CTH30A

PD160B

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