In the North of our country, it is common to have a damp weather after the Lunar New Year. During these days, the humidity in the air is usually high, causing some inconveniences in people’s daily lives. The biggest inconvenience is that houses or items inside the house “sweat”.
To solve this problem, many families have utilized their air conditioners with the “Dry” mode. The “Dry” mode is simply understood as a drying mode that helps make the space drier, balancing the humidity during damp days. However, many people still wonder if this mode of air conditioners consumes a lot of electricity or not.
The Dry mode on air conditioners used by many families during humid days (Illustrative Image)
Users conduct experiments and come up with numbers
To answer the question of whether using the “Dry” mode on air conditioners consumes a lot of electricity or not, many users have conducted direct experiments using specialized measuring tools. Here’s an example.
In a specific video, the person used the Dry mode of the air conditioner for about 2 hours, setting the temperature at 25-26 degrees Celsius. Throughout the operation time, a dedicated electric meter was connected to the air conditioner to accurately measure the amount of electricity consumed.
The result showed that after 2 hours, the device consumed 0.662 kWh. Calculating based on the household electricity price in Vietnam, updated on the EVN homepage in November 2023, users will have to pay an amount ranging from nearly 1,200 dong to more than 2,000 dong for 2 hours of using the air conditioner in Dry mode. When divided by 1 hour, the number is very small. For example, multiplying it by 24 hours a day during peak humid days, the amount users have to pay will be around 12,000 – 24,000 dong.
A user’s experiment on the amount of electricity consumed by using the air conditioner in Dry mode (Video: Ngweide)
This is a relatively modest number, neither too high nor too low for an electrical device in the house. It is important that using the Dry mode on the air conditioner actually brings good effectiveness. According to the user’s sharing during measuring, after 2 hours, the humidity in the space decreased significantly from 81% to only 61%.
Therefore, besides using specialized dehumidifying devices, the Dry mode of the air conditioner can effectively balance the humidity in the space. When using it, users should also pay attention to the temperature. It is best to set it at a lower level than the outside temperature, around 17-25 degrees Celsius. Only then can this house-drying method achieve optimal effectiveness and quickly dry the space. Inappropriate temperature settings will prolong the drying time.
The temperature when using the Dry mode is also very important, affecting the device’s operational effectiveness (Illustrative Image)
The features of the “Dry” mode on air conditioners
In reality, the function of drying and reducing humidity in the space of the “Dry” mode on air conditioners has been clearly instructed in the device’s user manual. However, many users overlook this. In addition, if users only use this mode without adjusting the temperature, the device will emit less cold air, thereby consuming less electricity.
Experts in electrical appliances in general or air conditioners in particular also assess that using the “Dry” mode also limits the noise emitted during operation. This is also because the device produces less cool air, making it operate more gently and reduce noise to some extent.
However, the “Dry” mode is only a supplementary feature of air conditioners and is not suitable for daily use, especially on dry summer days. This mode will dry the air and space, causing some dry skin, dry throat, dry eyes, affecting health to some extent.
When there is a need for cooling, users should still use the regular “Cool” mode of the air conditioner and adjust the temperature and fan level accordingly. The “Dry” mode is only suitable for use on days with high air humidity, reaching over 70%. It should not be abused for electricity saving purposes.
The Dry mode is suitable for humid days, while on dry summer days, if users want to cool down, they should use the Cool mode (Illustrative Image)
With the upcoming summer, to use air conditioners in an energy-efficient way, users can refer to the following tips:
– Do not turn on the air conditioner continuously all day, instead, turn it on for a few hours in each session.
– During the use time, do not continuously turn it on and off or adjust the air conditioner’s temperature too many times.
– It is possible to use the air conditioner at a relatively high temperature, from 25 – 27 degrees, combined with a fan.
– Choose an air conditioner with a suitable capacity for the space used.
