Dr. Prepare DDH12LA: running cost
At 105 kWh/yr, the Dr. Prepare DDH12LA's ENERGY STAR certification puts it one of the cheaper models in its category to run against every other certified dehumidifier.
That $20 is priced at 18.8¢/kWh, the average of all 51 state rates this site tracks. Your own state's rate is one click away.
Efficient, or not, for a dehumidifier
Against the category average of 378 kWh/yr, this model uses 72.2% less, ranking 2 of 546 dehumidifiers tracked here for running cost. That average is drawn from all 546 dehumidifiers ENERGY STAR currently certifies, not an outside number, a $51/year gap from this model at the national rate. Full sourcing is in the sourcing notes.
Right next to it on the list
A rank or two either side of the Dr. Prepare DDH12LA: CONCETTA AS-CSJ72XK-2WT-OL ($20/yr, 105 kWh/yr), then DUMOS AS-CSJ72XK-2WT-OL ($20/yr, 105 kWh/yr).
Same brand, different models
Of the 2 ENERGY STAR certified dehumidifiers Dr. Prepare makes, the DDH12LA is the cheapest to run, $14/year less than Dr. Prepare's priciest, the DDH20LF.
Lifespan
NAHB's Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components does not publish a figure for dehumidifiers, so no lifetime cost is shown here rather than a guessed one. The annual and monthly figures above stand on their own.
Weighing a replacement
Efficient as certified dehumidifiers go, $20/year is a reasonable baseline if you're comparing what else is on the market.
Worth comparing a few current certified models before deciding.
If you're keeping it
$20/year to run is the predictable cost of the Dr. Prepare DDH12LA; a protection plan covers the unpredictable one, a repair bill.
Where this number comes from
The Dr. Prepare DDH12LA is among the cheapest 546 dehumidifiers tracked here to run, see the full Dehumidifier category page for the rest of the range. The 105 kWh/yr figure is ENERGY STAR's own certification, not a wattage estimate; exact dataset IDs are on the data sources page.