Model
Glowells PD12A
Rank #58 means 57 of the 519 dehumidifier models we track cost less to run each year; the 22nd efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 22% of those models.
What does the Glowells PD12A cost to run per year?
At $36 a year to run, the Glowells PD12A is among the cheapest dehumidifier models we track, ranking #58 of 519. Once capacity is factored in, its efficiency percentile of 22 is below the class median, worth weighing alongside the raw dollar figure. The IEF figure of 1.81 on this model captures integrated energy factor, the main efficiency lever ENERGY STAR tracks for this class.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Costway ES10328US-WH at $35/yr runs a little cheaper and the Arecovas AR-DF001 at $36/yr runs a little more, a sense of how tightly models are packed at this point in the ranking. A dehumidifier typically stays in service for somewhere around 8 years; over that span, the Glowells PD12A's $36/yr adds up to roughly $288 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
By the numbers
The Glowells PD12A normalized against its whole class, so each figure means something.
What it costs you over time
Running cost is an every-year number, so it compounds. At $36/yr, here is what the Glowells PD12A adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Glowells PD12A costs about $360. That is roughly $280 less than the class median, which would run closer to $640 over the same ten years.
How the Glowells PD12A compares
The dehumidifier class we track runs from $19 to $521 a year. At $36/yr, it runs about $28 a year cheaper than the class median of $64, and it is about $17 a year more than the cheapest dehumidifier to run at $19.
What drives its running cost
At 16.11 pints/day, the Glowells PD12A is a small dehumidifier for its class, which spans 1.91 to 172.13 pints/day with a median of 32.46 pints/day, at the small end of the class, capacity itself is doing a lot of the work to keep that figure down, separate from how efficient the unit actually is. The IEF of 1.81 on this model, below the class median of 2.01, measures integrated energy factor; it is the number to compare directly against another model's IEF if capacity is similar.
- Integrated Energy Factor (IEF). Two dehumidifiers rated for the same pints per day can carry very different IEF figures, and IEF is what actually separates their running costs.
- Water removal capacity (pints/day). Pints-per-day rating scales with the space it is built for, and that rating is the first driver of how much power the compressor needs.
- Humidistat accuracy. How tightly a humidistat holds its target humidity determines how much of the day the compressor actually runs, on top of the unit's rated capacity and IEF.
Common questions
Is the Glowells PD12A cheap to run?
Yes, relatively. At $36 a year it ranks #58 of 519 dehumidifier models we track, in the cheaper part of its class to run.
How much does the Glowells PD12A cost per month?
Roughly $2.97/mo, spreading the $36/yr estimate evenly across twelve months at $0.1856/kWh. Actual monthly bills swing with your rate and usage pattern.
How is this running-cost figure calculated?
We take the model's published annual energy use of 192 kWh from ENERGY STAR and multiply it by the US average residential electricity rate of $0.1856/kWh, giving about $36 a year. It is an electricity-only estimate and does not include purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Glowells PD12A for its size?
22nd percentile once size is factored in. That means its size-adjusted efficiency is not the main reason for the running-cost figure above; its capacity plays a large role too.
Cheaper to run in the same class
Source
ES_1151920_PD12A_06232025153738_6946120View certified dehumidifier listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Glowells and PD12A are used here for identification only and are not endorsements. Figures are computed by WattWise Labs from public ENERGY STAR data, not measured in our own lab.