Dehumidifiers / AprilAire
AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier
The one machine here whose ENERGY STAR Most Efficient badge survives the database.
Overall score 7.5/10
Pros
- + The only product in this comparison whose ENERGY STAR Most Efficient claim is actually in the ENERGY STAR database
- + IEF 2.35 L/kWh against 2.01 for the mainstream 50-pint portables — meaningfully cheaper per pint removed
- + AprilAire's published 65 ppd at 73°F matches its DOE Appendix X1 filing to two decimal places; nothing is being hidden
- + 5-year parts and sealed-system warranty, MERV 8 filtration, US-built
Cons
- − $1,507 before the duct kit, hang kit and remote controller, none of which are in the box
- − Gravity drain only — no pump, same as the E070
- − 50°F dehumidification floor: for a genuinely cold crawlspace the AlorAir HDi90 or a desiccant is the right machine
- − AprilAire publishes no dB figure for the E080 at all
- − Sold through multiple concurrent Amazon listings (bundle, pro, DIY kit) at different prices for the same appliance
AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier review: what the specs say
The one machine here whose ENERGY STAR Most Efficient badge survives the database. At $1,507, AprilAire's 2021 model sits at the premium end of the category — the dehumidifiers we compare run from $46.42 to $1,507. It scores 7.5/10 overall, calculated from published specifications across 8 categories rather than from a subjective impression.
Its strongest showing is Capacity-Claim Honesty at 9.5/10 — this category's trap dimension. Since the DOE changed the test condition from 80°F/60% RH to 65°F/60% RH in 2019, the same machine that was a '70 pint' is now a '50 pint' — and manufacturers freely mix the two scales, plus a third 'saturation' figure taken at 95°F/90% RH. A high score means the pint number on the box matches the DOE Appendix X1 figure the manufacturer filed with ENERGY STAR. A low score means the marketing number is measured somewhere the buyer's house never is.. The weakest is Value for Money at 6.0/10, which is the trade-off to weigh before buying: if that is the specification you care about most, one of the alternatives below will serve you better.
Worth knowing before you buy: $1,507 before the duct kit, hang kit and remote controller, none of which are in the box; and gravity drain only — no pump, same as the E070. Every specification on this page comes from AprilAire's own documentation or a verified retail listing — where a figure is not published, the table says so rather than estimating it.
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Full Specifications
| Rated Capacity (and Which Standard) | 80 pints/day at 80°F/60% RH, 65 pints/day at 73°F/60% RH (AprilAire publishes both). The 73°F figure is the DOE Appendix X1 condition for whole-home units and matches AprilAire's ENERGY STAR filing exactly |
| ENERGY STAR / DOE Verified Capacity | 65.00 pints/day per Appendix X1, Integrated Energy Factor 2.35 L/kWh, 632 kWh/yr, R32 with a 9.7 oz charge, case volume 3.3 ft³ — AprilAire's own ENERGY STAR filing, certified 23 September 2025 and flagged as meeting Most Efficient criteria. Note that whole-home units are tested at 73°F/60% RH while portables are tested at 65°F/60% RH, so a 65-pint whole-home figure is still not directly comparable to a 50-pint portable figure pints/day |
| Technology & Refrigerant | Compressor (refrigerant), R32, 4.8 amps at 120V, 185 CFM at 0.0 in external static pressure, energy factor quoted by AprilAire as 2.8 L/kWh at 80°F/60% RH |
| Low-Temperature Operation & Defrost | 50°F to 104°F for dehumidification. Same floor as the E070 — good for a conditioned basement, not for a 40°F crawlspace |
| Claimed Coverage | 4,400 sq ft (AprilAire dealer spec sheet). Note the E070 below it is variously published at 2,200, 2,800 and 4,400 sq ft, so the coverage figures for the two models overlap in the sources |
| Tank Capacity & Refill Interval | None — plumbed appliance, no water tray |
| Continuous Drainage (Hose, Gravity, Pump Lift) | Gravity drain, no built-in pump. Duct kits, a remote controller and a hang kit are all separate accessories, not in the box |
| ENERGY STAR Status | Yes, certified, IEF 2.35 L/kWh, 632 kWh/yr, and it is on the ENERGY STAR Most Efficient list — the only product in this comparison for which that claim is verifiable |
| Annual Running Cost | About $107/yr (632 kWh x $0.17/kWh) on the DOE usage assumption. Higher in absolute terms than a portable because it is a bigger machine — but per pint removed it is the most efficient unit here at IEF 2.35 against 2.01 for the mainstream portables |
| Noise | Not published by AprilAire for the E080. The E070 on the same chassis family is quoted at 53 dBA ducted |
| Warranty (incl. Sealed System) | 5 years on parts and the sealed system |
| Recall History | No CPSC recall found for AprilAire dehumidifiers |
| Connectivity | None on the E080 — field-configurable for hardwire; separate controllers sold as accessories |
| Material | Steel cabinet with corrosion-resistant aluminium coils; made in the USA (AprilAire) |
| Warranty | 60 months |
Compare AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier With
Cheaper Alternative
AprilAire E070 70-Pint Crawl Space / Whole-House Dehumidifier — $1441.00