You should have done a humidifier and a dehumidifier test at the same time. That way you can test the each controlled environment to how much it humidifies and how much the dehumidifier takes out of the air.

The point regarding (ultrasonic/evaporative) humidifiers drawing energy from the room thus cooling it down and making it harder for the heating system therefore increasing its cost (whew) is very interesting and elaborate, but unfortunately provides little clarity to me as a reader, on which type of humidifier to get.

Where I live in Europe, heating cost is often complex and opaque: many people (in apartments, renting) get their heating bills annually, with about 6~18 months lag in the following year, and the cost is calculated as such that it is shared with the other tenants in the building. Paired with Europe’s overall high electricity costs (0.3–0.45€ per kWh), it is very hard to answer if and how much steam humidifiers would be more efficient, and whether it’s cheaper to help heat the room with, essentially, electricity; intuition says no, as electric space heaters are basically viewed as the more expensive option here.

Another point I’d like to see highlighted/covered is also which type is best for use with hard water. My understanding is that with Ultrasonic humidifiers, you’d get fine mineral particles settling in the room; With Steam humidifiers, you’d build up mineral crusts which demands more cleaning; And with Evaporative humidifiers, there is no issue. This essentially means get Evaporative humidifiers if you have hard water! I am not sure how true this is, and would love if you could find out!

Nov 22, 2024 03:55 PM By sameasiwas

3

You should have done a humidifier and a dehumidifier test at the same time. That way you can test the each controlled environment to how much it humidifies and how much the dehumidifier takes out of the air.

Hello,

Thank you for your comment.

One of the main reasons we did not choose a test similar to the one you suggested is that it would not accurately reflect a real-life use of both machines.

Thanks.

Nov 24, 2024 07:53 PM By FabulousCupcake

8

The point regarding (ultrasonic/evaporative) humidifiers drawing energy from the room thus cooling it down and making it harder for the heating system therefore increasing its cost (whew) is very interesting and elaborate, but unfortunately provides little clarity to me as a reader, on which type of humidifier to get. Where I live in Europe, heating cost is often complex and opaque: many people (in apartments, renting) get their heating bills annually, with about 6~18 months lag in the following year, and the cost is calculated as such that it is shared with the other tenants in the building. Paired with Europe’s overall high electricity costs (0.3–0.45€ per kWh), it is very hard to answer if and how much steam humidifiers would be more efficient, and whether it’s cheaper to help heat the room with, essentially, electricity; intuition says no, as electric space heaters are basically viewed as the more expensive option here. Another point I’d like to see highlighted/covered is also which type is best for use with hard water. My understanding is that with Ultrasonic humidifiers, you’d get fine mineral particles settling in the room; With Steam humidifiers, you’d build up mineral crusts which demands more cleaning; And with Evaporative humidifiers, there is no issue. This essentially means get Evaporative humidifiers if you have hard water! I am not sure how true this is, and would love if you could find out!

Hello,

Thank you for your comment and feedback.

Unfortunately, due to the variety of heating system technologies and the differing electricity costs across regions, we couldn’t provide more details without being overly specific to one region of the world and not another.

Regarding water hardness and white dust production, please stay tuned for a second humidifier article later this week that will cover this subject.

Thanks.