According to learnmetrics.com, a dehumidifier uses between 300 watts and 700 watts of energy per hour, depending on size and efficiency. That’s not much - more than your fridge but less than things like kettles and hair dryers. What's the best dehumidifier to buy?

It has a noise level of only 38dB and is Quiet Mark certified, an award given to the quietest products on the market. This low noise level allows you to keep it on all night, whether in the bedroom, in the office or while studying or reading. That said, if you find the Pro Breeze 12L Low Energy Dehumidifier on offer, and are willing to accept its flaws in exchange for its lower price point, this can be a great value buy that does the job and will make a big improvement to general damp issues. This isn't the highest performing dehumidifier on our list, as it is best used for smaller homes, with the ability to dehumidify up to 2 bedrooms, or up to 40 square meters. However, that doesn't make it any less useful than any of the other models. In fact, this dehumidifier has a few features that may place it ahead of the competition. One of these extremely useful features is Laundry Mode, which is perfect for use in a room where wet laundry is hung out to dry. Just select the mode, and it will run for 6 hours at full speed and then automatically turn off afterwards. When it is finished, you should find your laundry completely dry. The Pro Breeze 12L Low Energy Dehumidifier is a popular choice thanks to its relatively low price point that makes it one of the best value compressor dehumidifiers you can buy. If you don’t want a big, noisy device taking up space in your home, the Pro Breeze Dehumidifier is the compact, low-cost and energy-efficient answer to your prayers. With a noise level of 34dB, it is whisper-quiet, so you’ll be happy to take it everywhere, including your office, with no loud compressor to deal with - a boon for those of us working from home.The third option is sometimes described as a thermo-electric dehumidifier, or one that has peltier technology. Here the input fan draws the moist air onto a cold heat sink, where the moisture condenses and drips into the collecting tank. The dried air then passes to a hot heat sink and is then expelled as warm and dry air. Pros and cons of the different dehumidifier types Noise The unit isn't the lightest or most compact we've tested, but then we wouldn't expect that from a machine this powerful. However, built-in wheels, a retractable carry handle, and cable tidy make it easier to move around the house and store neatly away when it's not in use. It is worth noting, however, that whilst the laundry mode will dry clothing faster, it does tend to use more energy. If you're wondering how to get rid of mould in a poorly ventilated room, or trying to combat excess moisture or humidity inside the home, then a dehumidifier can be a useful tool in your arsenal.

Type: Compressor Dehumidifier | Extraction amount: 300ml | Tank capacity: 600ml | Dimensions: H22.6 x W14.6 x D14.6cm | Weight: 0.9kg | Power: 23W | Cost per hour: 1p | Noise level: 35dB | Max room size: 15m²| Laundry mode: No | Warranty: 3 years What we like Type: Compressor Dehumidifier | Extraction amount: 12L | Tank capacity: 2.5L | Dimensions: H47.2x W23.7 x D31.9cm | Weight: 10.9kg | Power: 151W | Cost per hour: 5p | Noise level: 38dB | Max room size: 50m² | Laundry mode: Yes | Warranty: 5 years What we like A dehumidifier removes excess moisture from the air to dry out the room, depositing it safely inside its water tank until you are ready to pour it away. Its job is to help you reach the optimum humidity level, and some even purify the air, removing allergens and dust through their filter. If you have a large home with a damp problem, you might be tempted to forgo larger, expensive dehumidifiers in favour of several small, cheaper ones in each room. The problem is that it can be more costly than buying the larger model and much less cost-effective. That’s why we recommend the 25L ElectriQ Smart Dehumidifier as the best dehumidifier for houses with up to six bedrooms. Automatic Humidity Sensor: The built-in humidity sensor allows you to set your desired room humidity between 30%-80%. Once this level is reached, the unit will turn off to conserve energy.However, if you opt for the MeacoDry Arete One 12L Dehumidifier you also get a built-in air purifier, larger 2.5L water tank, better laundry drying performance, quieter operation, and better energy efficiency.

I also found it very noisy. Even when the fan was set to low I could hear it over the TV, and I definitely couldn't have slept with it running. I also didn’t find it a great help with drying clothes, whilst it did take some of the moisture out of the garments, it didn’t leave them airing-cupboard dry like the best dehumidifiers I've tested. So, whilst this dehumidifier is portable, you’re probably not going to want to move it around too much. According to Pro Breeze, the Pro Breeze PB-06-AE 12L Dehumidifier featured at the top of this article costs as little as 7p an hour. If it takes four hours to dry your clothes, that would work out at 28p—much cheaper than running a tumble dryer. If you have a serious damp or condensation problem, it’s worth buying a model with a bigger tank so that it keeps working all night. How to choose the best dehumidifier for your home If you want a dehumidifier of a similar power and price point, the slightly more expensive ProBreeze 1500ml Mini Dehumidifier remains our best budget buy, offering a better extraction rate of 0.5L and a larger 1.5L water tank, which means you won’t be emptying it quite so frequently. That said, the ProBreeze 1500ml Mini Dehumidifier is also larger in size, measuring H30 x W22 x D16cm compared to the Russell Hobbs' H22 x W14 x D14cm frame. And, the ProBreeze 1500ml is twice the weight, weighing in at 1.85kg.However, to help give an overview, here are some key facts it's useful to know before searching for the best dehumidifier for the task in hand. The EcoAir DD1 Simple MK3 Dehumidifier can extract up to 7.5 litres of moisture per day in cold temperatures as low as 1ºc, so it's a very useful option for conservatorys, basements or garages that don't have dedicated heating, as well as unheated rooms in the home during winter months. Beyond that, maintenance-wise, you just need to keep the dehumidifier clean. Unplug the machine on a regular basis and just run over it with a damp cloth, don’t use abrasive cleaners that could damage the plastic. All dehumidifiers use a fan to draw moist air in through a grille at the front of the machine. The moisture is then extracted from the air and the dry air is heated, although the method of doing this varies between the different types of machine. The dry and warm air is then expelled using the same fan or a different one.

I was less impressed by the unit's sleep function, as it meant I couldn’t adjust the fan speed, and although this dehumidifier is noisy in all modes (more on that below), it is even more so on a high fan setting. If you’re looking for a dehumidifier that can clear moisture in a larger space or deal with significant damp levels within the home, then you need a dehumidifier with a high extraction rate. Type: Thermo-electric peltier dehumidifier | Extraction amount: 500ml | Tank capacity: 1500ml | Dimensions: H30 x W21.8 x D6.3cm | Weight: 1.85kg | Power: 40W | Cost per hour: 1p | Noise level: 33dB | Max room size: 150sq/ft | Laundry mode: No | Warranty: 1 year What we like The dehumidifier promptly stopped once the target humidity was met which means I used less energy, making it ideal for anyone worrying about electricity bills.And, whilst this Russell Hobbs number is cheaper upfront, running costs are higher, with the 20L dehumidifier using 440W of energy compared to Meaco's 20L Arete One which uses 216W on average. Plus, the Arete One offers a built-in air purifier which this model does not. For comparison, at current energy costs, the 12L MeacoDry Arete One Dehumidifier uses around 4p of electricity per hour, and the Pro Breeze 12L Low Energy dehumidifier uses roughly 6p per hour. Not a massive difference in running costs, but worth bearing in mind before you snap up this dehumidifier purely based on its low energy claims. Noise levels It is perfect for reducing humidity in spaces up to 15 m2, and more than ideal for poorly ventilated rooms such as basements and bathrooms.