Yesterday I received a call from a client for whom I did a Langdale home inspection last year. As I recall the house was maintanined in pristine condition by the original owner. My client, the buyer, was renting the property and now had a problem. Apparently the tenant was complaining about the cost electricity to run the dehumidifier. According to the tenant, if he did not run the dehumidifier, then there would be mold growth and so owner should reimburse his excellent tenant for the electricity.
Hmm. A lot of info to review.
First, how much would a dehumidifier cost to operate? From the nameplate, the power rating is 300 Watts or 0.3kW. From the utility bill, the cost of electricity is 10 cents/kW. In 24 hours you will use only 12 hours of electricity as the unit does not run continuously but rather cycles ON-OFF. So the daily cost is 10 cents/kW x 12 hrs x 0.3 kW = 36 cents/day or $10.80/month.
Not exactly a deal breaker. But why was the dehumidifier running at all?
I reviewed the filed inspection report. This house was heated by electric baseboards. With uncommonly cold days as we have had here this winter, I would expect the heaters to be cranked up. One baseboard heater can easily consume 5 times the electricity of a dehumidifier or $1.80 per day. If you have 10 baseboards throughout the house turned on, then that cost can be $18.00 a day or as much as $540 a month!
I suspect that the real issue is ventilation. In a cold climate we tend to keep all the windows closed. Closed windows create a moisture rich environment. Moist air condenses on cold windows and puddle onto the sills. The dehumidifier is a bandade on a sick house. Simple solutions include: crack open at least one window on an upper floor to allow for air flow and leave it open for extended periods; always run the kitchen fan when cooking; and, run bathroom exhaust fans during a shower or bath and at least 15 minutes after.
Not to rule out worse case scenarios, there may also be water penetration, either through the roof, walls or concrete ground floor. Or there could be a water leak from pipes or the water heater. A return inspection visit may be required verify the situation.
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