Dehumidifiers
Keeping your home comfortable all year means beating damp in winter as well as heat in summer. Here is how dehumidifiers really perform in UK homes, what they cost to run, and which type suits your rooms.
Best dehumidifiers UK 2026: our picks and how to choose
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a compressor or a desiccant dehumidifier? +
For a heated home, a compressor model: it is cheaper to run and comes in more sizes. Below about 10°C a compressor model collects very little, so for an unheated room, garage or conservatory a desiccant model is the better choice, and its warm air helps in a cold space.
What size dehumidifier do I need? +
A 10 to 12 litre model suits most flats and homes of up to three bedrooms with ordinary condensation. Choose 20 litres for a four bedroom house, a very damp home, or a family drying most of its washing indoors. The litres on the box are measured at 30°C and 80% humidity, so a cooler British home gets well under that figure.
How much does a dehumidifier cost to run? +
About 4p to 6p an hour for a good compressor model and 6p to 16p for a desiccant, at the October 2026 price cap of 26.32p per kWh. A humidistat switches the unit off once the room reaches your target, so real costs are usually lower. Rates change quarterly, so check the current cap before budgeting.
Will a dehumidifier stop condensation and mould? +
It removes much of the moisture that causes condensation, especially if you dry washing indoors, but use it alongside ventilation: trickle vents open and extractor fans used. It will not fix damp from a leak, a failed gutter or rising damp, which need a repair.
Can I use my air conditioner as a dehumidifier instead? +
In summer, yes: air con dries the air as it cools, and dry mode is useful in a muggy spell. In winter it is no substitute. Dry mode cools a cold room further, and heat mode removes no moisture, so a dehumidifier is the right tool for winter damp and laundry.
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Dehumidifiers, for the damp half of the year
We're best known for air conditioning, but keeping a home comfortable all year is about more than summer heat. In a British winter the problem is moisture: streaming windows, washing that won't dry, and the musty corners that turn into mould. A dehumidifier is the right tool for that half of the year, and one of the cheapest to run, at a few pence an hour.
There are two types, and the right one depends on how warm the room is. A compressor dehumidifier condenses moisture on a cold coil, costs about 4p to 6p an hour and suits heated rooms. A desiccant model soaks moisture up with a heated wheel, keeps working down to about 1°C and blows out warm air, which makes it the choice for garages, conservatories and cold utility rooms, at roughly double the running cost or more. Our guide to the best dehumidifiers explains how to choose.
Dehumidifiers at a glance
- 10 to 20 L
- The sizes most UK homes need
- £165 to £300
- What a good model costs to buy
- ~4p per hour
- To run a 12 litre compressor model at the October 2026 cap
- 50 to 55%
- The humidity to set it to
Sizing, noise and what to look for
Size it to the home. A 10 to 12 litre model suits most flats and homes of up to three bedrooms; a 20 litre model suits a four bedroom house, a very damp home, or a family drying most of its washing indoors. The litres are measured at 30°C and 80% humidity, so expect well under half that in a cool British room.
Set the humidity, then leave it. Aim for 50 to 55%. A built-in humidistat switches the unit off once the room gets there, which keeps bills down. Our guide to the ideal humidity in a house explains why there is no benefit in going lower.
Check the noise and the warranty. The quietest compressor models start from about 35 dB on low, quiet enough for a bedroom; laundry modes and desiccants on their top fan are much louder. Warranties range from two years to five, so it is worth comparing.
Fix the cause as well. A dehumidifier mops up moisture, but ventilation comes first. Our guide on how to stop condensation on windows runs through the fixes in order of cost.
Prices and running costs correct as of November 2026, using the October to December 2026 price cap of 26.32p per kWh. The cap changes quarterly.
Dehumidifiers we rate
MeacoDry Arete Two
★★★★★ ★★★★★ 4.610, 12, 20 and 25 L · compressor · from 35 dB · app control · 5-year warranty
12L, stock not shown on the page £179.00MeacoDry Arete One
★★★★★ ★★★★★ 4.46, 10, 12, 20 and 25 L · compressor · from 35 dB · HEPA · 5-year warranty
12L, stock not shown on the page £164.98Meaco DD8L Pro
★★★★★ ★★★★★ 4.38 L/day desiccant · works from 1°C · 231 to 623 W · app control · 3-year warranty
stock not shown on the page £249.98Damp, condensation and humidity guides
Best dehumidifiers UK 2026: our picks and how to choose
Our three picks for UK homes this winter, plus an honest guide to choosing: compressor or desiccant, what size you actually need, how loud they are, and what they cost to run.
5 Nov 2026
How to stop condensation on windows (and stop it coming back)
Why your windows run with water every winter morning, the quick fixes for tonight, the longer-term ones in order of cost, and where a heat pump or a dehumidifier genuinely helps.
18 Oct 2026
What is the ideal humidity in a house? (UK guide)
The humidity level to aim for in a UK home, what too high and too low look like, how to measure it, and what air conditioning, heating and dehumidifiers actually do to it.
18 Oct 2026Not sure which one you need?
Our buying guide compares compressor and desiccant models, sizes and running costs, with our picks for UK homes this winter.