Whenever you buy any electrical appliance, the foremost thing you consider is its power consumption and an air purifier is no exception. No one wants to increase their power bills unnecessarily by adding an energy-hungry device. Many people refrain from buying an air purifier, on the pretext that it might consume a lot of energy if used daily.
In this article, we would address this question and give you a complete insight into air purifiers and their effect on your electricity bills. If you are looking for HVAC solutions, you should consider visiting Clover Services, where you can avail of the best professional advice and service.
Why Do Air Purifiers Use A Lot Of Electricity?
Air purifiers do use some electricity, but that usage increases your bill amount by a lower margin as compared to some other home appliances. Most residential air purifiers do not really impact your power bills. They are equivalent to other household appliances like refrigerators, TV, or ceiling fans in terms of electricity use. There are other high-powered devices such as dishwashers and Air conditioners that consume more power units.
The average energy consumption per day of an efficient air purifier can range between 50w-150w for home use devices and around 1000 watt for industrial air purifiers.
Most air purifiers in the market are energy star certified that use up relatively little power per hour and lessen electricity bills. But having said that, some odd air purifier machines/models may not be energy efficient. The amount of power consumption by an air purifier depends on various factors.
What Are The Factors That Determine An Air Purifier’s Electricity Usage?
The electricity usage of an air purifier mainly depends on the following external and internal (direct) factors:
Technology & Type of Air Purifier
There are various air purifiers, and all of them use different types of technology to clean the air. Mechanical air purifiers that use high-rated HEPA filter technology are very costly. The ionized and UV lights based devices consume more electricity. On the Other hand, an air purifier, meant for pet dander, consumes the lowest energy.
Operational Speed
The speed at which the air purifier pulls in and releases the air back into the room is known as the operational or running speed of the device. The faster and higher the running speed, the more energy will be consumed. Some purifiers do come with an auto-switch speed setting mode as per the level of allergens present. Also, running air purifiers with open doors and windows can lead to more energy consumption.
Environment
If you stay in a polluted environment, you need to use the service of an air purifier for a long time. Even frequent opening of doors and windows makes the air purifiers consume more energy. You can’t set a low-speed limit in such cases as it may lead to faster clogging of filters.
Fan Size and Area / Room Capacity
Air purifiers with fans need more energy to spin them. The spinning of a huge fan consumes more power, and so is the case with the fan’s weight. An air purifier may have varying sizes and shapes of the fan. The larger the region/area an air purifier needs to cover, the more power it will use.
Watt Rating
It is the most crucial factor one should consider while buying an air purifier. It clearly lays down the amount of electricity consumption the appliance will require to operate per hour. You can measure and calculate your cost of electricity based on this information.
How To Measure The Power Consumption Of The Device And How Much It Will Cost You?
To measure the electricity usage of your air purifier, you need to ascertain the purifier’s power consumption. It is given in the specification manual or printed on the back of the device.
The watt rating is listed in kilowatt per hour (kw/hr). 1,000 watts’ equals 1 kW, so if the electrical device consumes 1000 watt in one hour, it will add 1kw to your power bill. This is the standard used by energy companies.
Let’s understand the concept with an example:
If the air purifier watt rating is 100W, then it means it will consume 100W of electricity per hour. If you use the appliance for 20 hours, your consumption will be 100×20=2000W for that day.
If that’s our average usage, then for 30 days, the total consumption will be 100×20×30=60000W. To convert the watt usage into kilowatt, divide it by 1000 to get your actual electricity consumption in Kw=60000/1000=60 kW per month.
In case you need the yearly consumption rate, then multiply the monthly figure by 12.
It’s crucial to convert the watt consumption into kilowatt as all power companies quote their rates in cents per kWh. To know your bill in the monetary figure, multiply the quoted rate (say 10 cents/kWh) with your calculated monthly consumption.
Taking our example, our yearly cost of electricity for an air purifier will amount to 60kw(30days)×12(months)×10(rate)= 7200 cents or $72 per year or $6/month.
So, you can now check the energy rating on the device’s packaging and measure its power consumption without any hassle.
How To Choose An Energy-efficient Air Purifier?
To choose an energy-efficient air purifier, search for the following features in a model:
- Select an Energy Star air purifier as they are 30-50% more effective in consuming power when compared to ordinary air purifiers.
- Auto switch/sleep mode for reducing power consumption.
- Eco mode to switch off the motor when not in use.
- The air purifier should be in accordance with room size.
- Timely replacement of filters for increased filtration efficiency
Pro Tip: Always keep the doors and windows closed when the device is in use. The less airflow from the outside, the less power it will consume.
Endnote
Now that you know the truth behind the electricity consumption of air purifiers, you can buy one without worrying about huge electricity bills.
Regular maintenance and repairs are key to keeping air filters efficient over the years. An inefficient filter might cost you more. Thus, make sure you take appropriate steps to keep your air purifiers in excellent condition.
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