About Canstar’s Most Satisfied Customers Dehumidifiers Award
Canstar's Most Satisfied Customers Dehumidifiers Award reveals the dehumidifier brand that delivers the best consumer satisfaction to its customers.
We ask Kiwi dehumidifier owners to rate their satisfaction with their providers by Overall Satisfaction, as well as important criteria such as Effectiveness, Quietness and Value for Money.
Numbers crunched by Canstar’s researchers:
- 204 Customer Surveyed
- 10 Brands Assessed
- 3 Brands Shortlisted
- 1 Award Winner
The best dehumidifier brands in NZ
The brands rated are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.
1. De’Longhi
This is the first year that the Italian brand De’Longhi has won our Dehumidifiers Award, and it does so on the back of an impressive set of ratings from Kiwi consumers.
Across six of our seven award categories, De’Longhi earns top 5-Star ratings from its customers, including for Value for Money, Performance and Effectiveness. For Quietness it has a great 4-Star rating.
De’Longhi’s Tasciugo dehumidifier range covers five models, ranging in price from around $550-$950:
- 14l AriaDry Multi
- 16l AriaDry Multi
- 21l AriaDry Pure with air purifier
- 25l AriaDry Multi
- 30l AriaDry with pump, which expels collected water
Tasciugo dehumidifiers feature a laundry-drying setting, air filtration and the 16l-30l models have wi-fi connectivity, enabling you to control them with your voice or via the De’Longhi app.
2. Mitsubishi Electric
Mitsubishi Electric sells three models in its Oasis range. The Oasis Classic is available in two different moisture removal capacity sizes (16l or 22l per day), while the Oasis Pure model can remove 38l per day. Prices range from around $830 to $1600, and features include:
- Ability to operate in temperatures as low as 1C
- Automatic humidity level setting that adjusts operation accordingly
- High humidity indicator
- Laundry mode
- Mildew guard mode automatically lowers humidity levels to 40-50% once a day, for up to four hours, to halt mildew spore production
3. Panasonic
Panasonic’s range of dehumidifiers has three different models to chose from: 17l, 27l and 33l, priced from around $600-$1100.
Its most expensive model has a 5.2l tank capacity and can remove 33l of moisture per day from the air, it also features:
- Automatic on-off to maintain ideal humidity
- Digital display
- Laundry mode to dry and deodorise laundry
- Nanoe air-purifying system
- Two-, four- and eight-hour timer
Choosing the right dehumidifier for You
There are many things to consider when choosing the right dehumidifier to match your home and budget. However, it's essential to consider certain key points when making your purchase.
While Value for Money is usually an important factor cited across all our consumer research, it wasn't a concern for the customers in our dehumidifier survey. In fact, none said it was important when rating their satisfaction with their dehumidifier choice.
Overall, Effectiveness was the No.1 factor: how good the dehumidifier is at doing its job – cited by a third in our survey – followed by Performance & Reliability, which was the most important concern for around a quarter (25%).
Here’s the full rundown of what those in our survey said they considered most when rating their dehumidifiers:
- Effectiveness: 36%
- Performance & Reliability: 24%
- Functionality: 22%
- Quietness: 16%
What a dehumidifier can prevent in your home
A dehumidifier can be an essential appliance in the home, and can help prevent or alleviate:
- Dampness: a perennial problem in many NZ homes
- Mould: a damp home creates the perfect conditions for mould and mildew to form, but they struggle to form in less than 50% humidity
- Dust mites: these are invisible occupants of your bedspreads, mattresses, curtains, carpets, etc. While they can live in dry homes, they prefer damp conditions. And when they multiply, they can trigger allergic reactions
- Musty smells: these can be caused by the growth of mould and mildew
- Condensation: foggy windows can damage wooden window frames and lead to damp patches on walls and peeling wallpaper
Types of dehumidifier
Refrigerant dehumidifier
Works by condensing moisture out of the air. Damp air is sucked into the dehumidifier and is cooled to below its dewpoint temperature using the same processes as a fridge. This causes condensation to drip into a water-holding pan, which can either be emptied manually, or automatically through a hose. These are the most common types of dehumidifiers. They work better in higher temperatures and at increased humidity levels, although can be noisier than desiccant dehumidifiers.
Desiccant dehumidifiers
The humid air moves over a rotating wheel made of a water-absorbing material. The dry air is blown back into the room, while the water-absorbing material is heated, causing it to release its water into a collection tray. Absorption models are more complicated in their design and can be less energy efficient. However, absorption dehumidifiers work better at lower temperatures, which make them a good option for use in colder climates.
Tips for buying and using a dehumidifier
Buying a dehumidifier:
- The best models have a digital humidistat, which his like a thermostat for humidity
- Check for literage, the amount of water the dehumidifier can remove from the air over 24 hours. The bigger the number, the more effective the machine
- Look for a good Star Energy Rating – it will cost you less to run
- Don’t buy a machine unless you’ve heard it running and are happy with its noise level
Using a dehumidifier:
- Wash air filters once a month to help the fan operate efficiently
- Keep an eye on temperatures. Most dehumidifiers operate less efficiently when the temperature falls below 18C
- Maintain good air-flow. Keep your dehumidifier away from the wall for good air circulation
