There is no doubt that an air purifier helps clean the air inside your home. Many scientific studies have proven that air purifiers really help in eliminating harmful micro-elements in the air.
It traps pollutants, pollens, dust, and in some cases, even bacteria and viruses. In short, it makes the air you breathe fresher and cleaner for a healthier lifestyle.
Cost in Electricity Bill
The HEPA air purifiers are designed to cleanse the air in your home. But is it true that having them can cause your electricity bills to skyrocket?
The quick answer is no.
Having a continuous stream of flowing clean air will not bankrupt your savings. The cost isn’t as much as you’d think. To demonstrate how insignificant the extra cost of your electric bill is, we need to understand how to compute the cost of energy it consumes.
Typically, an energy company charges you per kWh you consume each month. For instance, if a device uses 100 watts per hour, you can run it for 10 hours to be charged for 1kWh. In the US, the average rate for 1kWh is $0.12.
Meanwhile, an air purifier uses an average of 50 watts per hour. With this rate, you need 20 hours before it can increase your bill by 1kWh or $0.12. So, it’s safe to assume that if you use a single unit of air purifier non-stop for 24 hours, you will most likely see a spike of $0.16 per day, or $5 increase each month.
With that sample computation, you can see how cheap it is to have an air cleaner in terms of electricity cost. If you want, you can have as many air purifiers correctly positioned in every corner of your house. Doing so will never make your energy bill jump too high. Applying the calculation above, four air purifiers working non-stop for 24 hours will not take away more than $25 per month or $300 per year.
Top Air Purifiers Electric Usage
In the computation above, we use $0.12 as a rate for every 1kWh as the average cost for all air purifiers. However, it’s important to know that electricity consumption differs from one brand to another. Let’s see how much these top air purifiers will add to your electricity bill each month.
Some models further reduce the power consumption using an electrostatic filter, Avari Air 600 is one of them. Avari Air 600 only costs around $6.05 per month. Here are some of the top air usage and their approximate electric cost.
Here’s another five options we like broken down by their eight hour costs, their daily cost and average monthly cost for you.
BlueAir Classic 205 (Large Room Purifier)
- 8 Hour Cost (Recommended Min): (0.02kW) x 8 Hours x ($0.12) – (0.08kW) x 8Hours x ($0.12) = $0.019/Per day – $0.076/Per Day
- Average Daily Cost: $0.057
- Average Monthly Cost: $1.71
Honeywell Hpa300 (Large Room Purifier)
- 8 Hour Cost (Recommended Min): (0.04kW) x 8 Hours x ($0.12) – (0.130kW) x 8Hours x ($0.12) = $0.038/Per day – $0.124/Per Day
- Average daily Cost: $0.086
- Average Monthly Cost: $2.58
Honeywell Hpa200 (Medium Room Purifier)
- 8 Hour Cost (Recommended Min): (0.04kW) x 8 Hours x ($0.12) – (0.100kW) x 8Hours x ($0.12) = $0.038/Per day – $0.096/Per Day
- Average Daily Cost= $0.058
- Average Monthly Cost= $1.74
Honeywell Hpa100 (Small Room Purifier)
- 8 Hour Cost (Recommended Min) : (0.04kW) x 8 Hours x ($0.12) – (0.075kW) x 8Hours x ($0.12) = $0.038/Per day – $0.072/Per Day
- Winix 5300-2 (Large Room Purifier)
- 8 Hour Cost (Recommended Min) : (0.07kW) x 8 Hours x ($0.12) = $0.067/Per day
- Average Monthly Cost= $2.01
Levoit LV-H132 (Small/Medium Room Purifier)
- 8 Hour Cost (Recommended Min): (0.028kW) x 8 Hours x ($0.12) = $0.027/Per day
- Average Monthly Cost= $0.81
- As you know, we have a Levoit air purifier and we can recommend them.
With these calculations, you can see how little the added cost of using air purifiers. Even if you use them longer than eight hours every day, they will never cause a significant increase on your monthly bill.
There are many models to choose from; each has its unique benefits. The most advanced air purifier is the one that is embedded in air conditioner units. This type of air purifier works two-fold: it kills unwanted particles in the air and on the surface. Some models remove as much as 90% of bacteria and viruses, and work even when the aircon is off.
Choosing an air purifier: 5 features
There are many factors to consider when buying an air purifier. The primary consideration is your personal needs and expectations. How big are your rooms, and how many hours will you leave it on? On that, you can look at the following five features to help you make your decision.
- Energy Rating: This shows the amount of electricity the device consumes while working. The higher the energy, the higher your electric bill will be.
- Type of Filter: One of the most popular filters in air purifiers is the HEPA filter, although it requires a more powerful fan which consumes more energy.
- Size: Typically, a model that has a bigger fan consumes more electricity than others.
- Area of the room: A small space needs an air cleaner with a smaller fan, while a bigger room needs a giant fan. Also, a brand with a HEPA filter works best for large rooms.
- Mode: Most air purifiers allow the user to set the running speed of the fan to low, medium, and high. It follows that when the mode is always high, it uses more power, which can reflect on your monthly due.
Weigh the features you value more, you can find yourself the right air purifier for your situation. When looking for a quality air purifier, don’t forget to check on energy star seals. This seal guarantees that the device is energy-efficient, which can save you money.
