Model
Whirlpool WHAD251AW
Rank #163 means 162 of the 519 dehumidifier models we track cost less to run each year; the 39th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 39% of those models.
What does the Whirlpool WHAD251AW cost to run per year?
The Whirlpool WHAD251AW costs about $53 a year to run, which beats most of the 519 dehumidifier models we track; it ranks #163. Capacity-normalized, it ranks ahead of just 39% of dehumidifier models we track, a soft spot worth weighing against the dollar figure. At a IEF of 1.85, its integrated energy factor is the single figure that best explains how it earns its running-cost number.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Waykar; Kesnos; Yaufey; Fehom YDZ-80 at $52/yr runs a little cheaper and the Frigidaire FHDD2234W1 at $53/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 Whirlpool WHAD251AW's $53/yr adds up to roughly $424 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Megalight PD-MPC720-WT.
By the numbers
The Whirlpool WHAD251AW 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 $53/yr, here is what the Whirlpool WHAD251AW adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Whirlpool WHAD251AW costs about $530. That is roughly $110 less than the class median, which would run closer to $640 over the same ten years.
How the Whirlpool WHAD251AW compares
The dehumidifier class we track runs from $19 to $521 a year. At $53/yr, it runs about $11 a year cheaper than the class median of $64, and it is about $34 a year more than the cheapest dehumidifier to run at $19.
What drives its running cost
At 24.84 pints/day, the Whirlpool WHAD251AW is a mid-size dehumidifier for its class, which spans 1.91 to 172.13 pints/day with a median of 32.46 pints/day, putting it squarely in the middle of the class on the size lever that drives most of the cost. Its IEF of 1.85, below the class median of 2.01, reflects integrated energy factor: a higher figure means it wrings more useful work out of every kilowatt-hour, so it is the efficiency lever to weigh against raw size.
- Integrated Energy Factor (IEF). IEF measures liters of water removed per kilowatt-hour; a higher IEF means less energy per pint of moisture removed for a given capacity.
- Water removal capacity (pints/day). A dehumidifier rated to remove more pints per day is built for a larger space or a more humid room, and generally draws more power to do it.
- Humidistat accuracy. A unit with a more precise humidistat cycles the compressor off once the target humidity is reached, rather than running continuously.
Common questions
Is the Whirlpool WHAD251AW cheap to run?
Yes. Its $53/yr running cost puts it at rank #163 of 519, below what most dehumidifier models we track cost to run.
How much does the Whirlpool WHAD251AW cost per month?
About $4.38 a month, which is the $53 annual estimate spread across twelve months at the US average rate of $0.1856/kWh. Your own bill scales with your local electricity rate and how heavily you use it.
How is this running-cost figure calculated?
The formula is annual kWh times price per kWh: 283 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $53 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Whirlpool WHAD251AW for its size?
39th percentile once size is factored in, a fairly typical result for the class.
Cheaper to run in the same class
Source
ES_1055302_WHAD251AW_091620250853594_8313544View certified dehumidifier listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Whirlpool and WHAD251AW 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.