Does Dehydrators require alot of electricity?

[Daddeln]

Hello,

I havent bought me a dehydrator yet but im planning to do so. Im just wondering, not that it would change my decision, doesnt a dehydrator require alot of electricity? Have you noticed a huge diffrence in your electricityconsumption?

[exurb]

I think a stove takes more! Cooking is a big power consumer. You can build a solar dehydrator if you're so inclined. They're easy to build, but it can be difficult to set a temperature.

Our power consumption did actually surge when I started dehydrating 24/7, but I think it had something to do with the decadent hot baths I was taking in our 4-person spa bathtub! :o So now we have to rig up a solar unit for that so I can go back to doing that free of guilt. (We used to have guilt-free hot water off our geothermal heat system, but it broke down).

My hubby was wondering if the dehydrator going all the time was contributing the power increase, but I really think cooking the average recipe in your oven at 350F for 45 minutes will burn way more than the dehydrator on for 15 hours at 105, so I don't worry about it.

If you want to know how much it (or anything) really burns you could look at getting a "smart meter" for your electricity so you can see what you're burning at all times. They're sort of fun and informative, and make you turn off stuff all the time when you see that you're burning electricity.

You could also look for an energy rating on any dehydrator you're buying (if it's available) to compare efficiency. I don't know about this for dehydrators, but many appliances have a rating on them to tell you how much electricity they burn. It's a good idea to compare this when purchasing appliances, especially on a large item like a refrigerator that's going all the time, the difference in efficiency can really add up, and should be a factor you consider before choosing. I read an article recently that some of the cheap wine fridges out there have such unbelievably inefficient power consumption, that they burn more than whole fridges with freezers attached to keep a small area just below room temperature. So maybe some dehydrators are more efficient than others. (mine was given to me second hand so I have no idea about its efficiency).

[Daddeln]

Thanks for your answer!

That 4-person spa bathhub sounds tempting. But I guess I'll have to wait to build my own one until I get something else than this den though. I will check up on comparisions a little but so far I havent found much about it. I guess its not such a big deal anyhow, I still crave for all those delicious fruitsnacks one are able to make with it. Because I live in Sweden I think there arent so many diffrent models to choose from, so far I've seen only one - the dehydrator from L'equip. If I were able to choose I think I would have bought the Excalliburmodel but im not really sure if it works over here.

[rawpriestess]

I used to work for the electric company, and we had all of these charts to help people with their utility bill, dehydrator was way way way down on the list of comsumption per hour. about the same as 3 lightbulbs, that's all.


you biggest draw is your electric heat, then the hot water tank, then your fridge, then your freezer, then your hot tub, sauna etc.

[Daddeln]

RP,

Thanks for this inside information!

[Green Life]

If our electric bill is any indication, YES!

Since I got my food dehydrator, our electircity bill is sky high.


Green :D Life

[yoyescu]

I am so glad you ask that question, this is our first month with our excalibur and has been going much of 24/7, so will see. electric companies are going up again in our area so I hope RP is right and is in the low side.

Green life: are you sure is your dehydrator raising your bill?

Cheers!!!

[Spectatrix]

Just look at the wattage on your dehydrator. A 4-tray excalibur consumes 220 W, whereas the 9-tray consumes 600 W. Assuming your standard light bulb is 60 W, that's the equivalent of 4-10 lightbulbs running for however long you run your dehydrator. If you're running a 600 Watt dehydrator 24/7 and your electric rate is 10 cents per kW-hr, it'll add about $43 to your electricity. BUT... you also have to subtract the cost for microwave, electric stove, and any other electric appliances you would've otherwise been using.

[LovingLife]

If our electric bill is any indication, YES!

Since I got my food dehydrator, our electircity bill is sky high.


Green :D Life

That's really interesting because I haven't noticed much difference in my electric bill at all since I've been using my dehydrator. I wonder if I'm compensating somewhere else -- not with the stove/oven because it's gas -- maybe with the microwave?