What a dehumidifier costs to run in Massachusetts
Massachusetts homes use 716 kWh a year on a dehumidifier. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $68.64 to $242.40 a year across 39 published Massachusetts plans — a $173.76 gap. Checked September 2, 2026.
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Cheapest 25 of 39 priced plans, average
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A4 (R-3) without electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $64.68 | −$3.96 | 10.3¢ |
| Cambridge Electric Light Company Residential Space Heating R-3 (04)flat rate · needs electric heating | $64.68 | −$3.96 | 10.3¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)✓ cheapestflat rate | $68.64 | — | 10.8¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A2 (R-2) with electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $68.64 | — | 10.8¢ |
| Cambridge Electric Light Company Residential R-1 (01)flat rate | $68.64 | — | 10.8¢ |
| South Shore Residential R-1 Annual BS (32)flat rate | $68.64 | — | 10.8¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard Residential Space Heating R-3 BS (86)flat rate · needs electric heating | $74.28 | +$5.64 | 11.5¢ |
| Western Massachusetts Residential Space Heating Low Income Rate R-4flat rate · low-income rate | $78.60 | +$9.96 | 12.1¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Space Heating Low Income Rate R-4flat rate · low-income rate | $79.68 | +$11.04 | 12.3¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha Vineyard Residential R-1 Annual CLC (32)flat rate | $80.88 | +$12.24 | 12.4¢ |
| Western Massachusetts Residential Discount Rate (R-2)flat rate · assistance rate | $89.40 | +$20.76 | 13.7¢ |
| Western Massachusetts Residential Space Heating R-3 (A4)flat rate · needs electric heating | $90.00 | +$21.36 | 13.7¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Discount Rate (R-2)flat rate · assistance rate | $90.96 | +$22.32 | 13.9¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Space Heating R-3flat rate · needs electric heating | $91.32 | +$22.68 | 13.9¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Rate (R-1)flat rate | $102.60 | +$33.96 | 15.5¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Space Heating R-3flat rate · needs electric heating | $114.72 | +$46.08 | 17.7¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Space Heating Low Income Rate R-4flat rate · low-income rate | $114.72 | +$46.08 | 17.7¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Rate (R-1)flat rate | $119.16 | +$50.52 | 18.3¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Discount Rate (R-2)flat rate · assistance rate | $119.16 | +$50.52 | 18.3¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard Residential Space Heating R-3 BS (86)flat rate · needs electric heating | $171.48 | +$102.84 | 25.1¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A4 (R-3) without electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $176.64 | +$108.00 | 25.9¢ |
| Cambridge Electric Light Company Residential Space Heating R-3 (04)flat rate · needs electric heating | $176.64 | +$108.00 | 25.9¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha Vineyard Residential R-1 Annual CLC (32)flat rate | $178.08 | +$109.44 | 26.0¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)flat rate | $180.60 | +$111.96 | 26.5¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A2 (R-2) with electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $180.60 | +$111.96 | 26.5¢ |
14 further schedules are published and priced but not listed here — mostly regional and seasonal variants of the plans above. The dearest of them costs $242.40 a year at this usage.
Cost across usage levels
The cheapest plan at each consumption level, showing whether the ranking holds as usage changes.
- Lighter use — cheapest $34.80 (Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)), dearest $122.88, a $88.08 spread
- Average — cheapest $68.64 (Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)), dearest $242.40, a $173.76 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $82.56 (Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)), dearest $291.60, a $209.04 spread
What a dehumidifier costs here
Across 39 plans priced in Massachusetts, a dehumidifier adds $68.64 to $242.40 a year — $5.72 to $20.20 a month. The median plan puts a dehumidifier at $178.08 a year.
Cheapest for a dehumidifier: Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1), NSTAR Electric Company. Dearest: Cape Cod Residential Rate (R-1), NSTAR Electric Company.
Those 716 kWh are billed at 9.6¢–33.9¢, against a 26.0¢ whole-bill average on the median plan: they land in the last tier the household reaches, so the average rate understates them by up to 7.8¢ per kWh.
What Massachusetts homes use
EIA's 2020 residential survey found 716 kWh a year across 212 sampled homes that run one, 28% under the national 999 kWh. The middle half spans 363 kWh to 861 kWh, so a dehumidifier varies by 498 kWh between one household and another.
Portable and whole-home dehumidifiers. That average covers homes with a dehumidifier — 33% of homes here, against 17% nationally.
That makes a dehumidifier about 10% of the electricity a Massachusetts home uses. The remaining 6,521 kWh is what a dehumidifier is billed on top of, and on a tiered or time-of-use plan that is what sets the rate it meets.
Light and heavy use of a dehumidifier
A household in the lighter quarter runs a dehumidifier for 363 kWh a year and pays $34.80 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 861 kWh and pays $82.56 — $47.76 more for a dehumidifier on the same tariff.
Limits
A 2020 survey average for Massachusetts, not a measurement of any one home, priced against the 39 Massachusetts tariffs WattClear has ingested — not every plan sold there.
New to these terms? The methodology page explains tiered bands, time-of-use periods and fixed charges, and sets out exactly what the rate engine assumes.
Estimate — your actual bill may differ.
Tariff structures from NREL/OpenEI Utility Rate Database (CC0 1.0), retrieved September 2, 2026.
Location resolved through the US Census Bureau Geocoder (Public domain) at 42.3601, -71.0589.