APPENDIX 5A. AHAM ENGINEERING ANALYSIS QUESTIONNAIRE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

5A.1 RESIDENTIAL DEHUMIDIFIERS .............................................................................1

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APPENDIX 5A. AHAM ENGINEERING ANALYSIS QUESTIONNAIRE

5A.1 RESIDENTIAL DEHUMIDIFIERS

QUESTIONS FOR ENGINEERING ANALYSIS 

DOE would like to confirm information on the incremental costs of increasing product efficiency 

by understanding the design options involved in the efficiency improvement. 

1. Which design features impacting energy use are generally incorporated into a “baseline” 

dehumidifier in the following product classes:

a. Portable, 35.00 pints/day or less?

b. Portable, 35.01 to 45.00 pints/day?

c. Portable, 45.01 to 54.00 pints/day?

d. Portable, 54.01 to 75.00 pints/day?

e. Portable, greater than 75.00 pints/day?

f. Whole-home?

2. Are there other product classes that DOE should consider? Should DOE consider 

combining or splitting any of these product classes?

3. DOE is proposing to analyze the following efficiency levels for a subset of the proposed 

product classes that represent the greatest number of available models:

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Level

Efficiency 

Level Source

Efficiency Levels (liters/kWh)

Portable, 35.01–

45.00 pints/day

Portable, 45.01–

54.00 pints/day

Portable, 54.01–

75.00 pints/day Whole-Home

Baseline DOE 

Standard 1.50 1.60 1.70 2.50†

1

ENERGY 

STAR* (Max 

Available for 

35.01–45.00 

pints/day, 

Gap Fill for 

45.01–54.00 

pints/day)

1.62 1.70 1.85 2.80

2

Gap Fill 

(Max 

Available for 

45.01–54.00 

pints/day

-- 1.80 2.10 3.50

3 Maximum 

Available -- -- 2.47 4.17

* ENERGY STAR qualification criteria effective October 1, 2012, require all portable and whole-home 

dehumidifiers less than 75 pints per day to have an EF of at least 1.85 liters/kWh, which is greater than the 

maximum available efficiency of 35.01–45.00 pints/day units. Units with 75–185 pints/day capacity must have an 

EF of at least 2.80 liters/kWh, while dehumidifiers with a capacity greater than 185 pints/day are excluded.

† The baseline efficiency for the whole-home product class is specified as the DOE standard effective October 1, 

2012, for dehumidifiers with a capacity greater than 75.00 pints/day.

1. Do you agree with the proposed efficiency levels?

a. Do you believe that the gap-fill efficiency levels defined by DOE for portable 

45.01-54.00 pints/day, 54.01-75.00 pints/day, and whole-home dehumidifiers are 

appropriate? If not, can you suggest appropriate gap-fill values?

b. For the 35.01-45.00 pints/day and 45.01-54.00 pints/day product classes, DOE is 

aware that some dehumidifier models have been added to the ENERGY STAR 

product database that have a 1.85 EF, although the products may not yet be 

available for purchase on the market. Should DOE adjust the max-tech efficiency 

levels in these product classes to 1.85 EF?

2. If you believe that other portable dehumidifier product classes should be analyzed, can 

you suggest baseline, max-tech, and if necessary, gap fill efficiency levels for those 

product classes?

3. Which design changes are associated with converting a baseline portable 35.01-45.00 

pints/day dehumidifier (1.50 EF) to efficiency level 1 (the maximum available level (1.62 

or 1.85 EF))? Are these design changes comparable for portable dehumidifiers with 

capacities of 35.00 pints/day or less? What are the costs of the individual design options 

selected?

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4. Which design changes are associated with converting a baseline portable 45.01-54.00 

pints/day dehumidifier (1.60 EF) to efficiency level 1 (1.70 EF)? To the maximum 

available level (1.80 or 1.85 EF)? What are the costs of the individual design options 

selected?

5. Which design changes are associated with converting a baseline portable 54.01-75.00 

pints/day dehumidifier (1.70 EF) to efficiency level 1 (the ENERGY STAR level (1.85 

EF))? To efficiency level 2 (2.10 EF)? To the maximum available level (2.47 EF)? Are 

these design changes comparable for portable dehumidifiers with capacities greater than 

75.00 pints/day? What are the costs of the individual design options selected?

6. Which design changes are associated with converting a baseline whole-home 

dehumidifier (2.50 EF) to efficiency level 1 (the ENERGY STAR level for 75 to 185 

pints/day (2.80 EF))? To efficiency level 2 (3.50 EF)? To the maximum available level 

(4.17 EF)? Are these design changes comparable to those used for portable units with 

capacity greater than 75 pints/day? What are the costs of the individual design options 

selected?

7. Are there fundamental differences between required design changes that could make the 

cost increment higher for some product classes than others, in particular between the 

portable greater than 75.00 pints/day and whole-home product classes?

8. Do you believe that the DOE dehumidifier test procedure that will be in effect at the time 

of any new dehumidifier standards (10 CFR Part 430, Subpart B, Appendix X1) is 

appropriate for measuring the energy use of whole-home dehumidifiers? If not, can you 

suggest an alternative test method?

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