Dehumidifiers / AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier vs hOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N)
AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier
$1507.00
VShOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N)
$242.10
AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier vs hOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N)
AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier
The one machine here whose ENERGY STAR Most Efficient badge survives the database.
Wins overall by 2.3 points
Quick Verdict
A 2.3-point gap makes the AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier the straightforward choice here. The one machine here whose ENERGY STAR Most Efficient badge survives the database.
The AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier and hOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N) are both closely matched dehumidifier models, and the hOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N) is $1,264.90 cheaper than the AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier ($242.10 vs $1,507). On Build & Warranty, the AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier leads (9.5 vs 4.0/10) — coil and cabinet construction, filter grade, and above all the warranty on the sealed system — the compressor is the part that fails and the part most portables cover for only twelve months. On Capacity-Claim Honesty, the AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier leads (9.5 vs 5.0/10) — 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.. On Cold-Room Performance, the AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier leads (6.5 vs 4.0/10) — what happens in a 50-55°F basement, garage or crawlspace. Compressor coils frost below roughly 65°F and auto-defrost buys back the coil at the cost of runtime; desiccant rotors and hot-gas-defrost units do not care. The single most common mis-buy in the category. Overall, the AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier scores 7.5/10 across our 8 scoring categories versus 5.2/10 for the hOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N). Below, we break down the full spec sheet, category-by-category scores, and exactly who should buy which one.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Spec | AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier | hOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1507.00 | $242.10 |
| Release Year | 2021 | 2017 |
| 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 | 50 pints/day on the 2019 DOE scale — and the listings say so explicitly. Walmart's title for this machine reads "50 Pint (Previously 70 Pint)". The Amazon listing adds a second, larger number: "50 Pint (MAX 120 Pint at 95°F, 90% RH)". Three scales for one machine: 70 (pre-2019 DOE), 50 (2019 DOE), 120 (saturation) |
| ENERGY STAR / DOE Verified Capacity ( pints/day) | 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 | Not currently verifiable. hOmeLabs' only entries in the ENERGY STAR Certified Dehumidifiers database as of August 2026 are the HME0088 (24.48 pints/day) and HME0089 (32.46 pints/day). The 50-pint model is not in the certified list, despite listings that describe it as "Energy Star Dehumidifier" |
| 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 | Compressor (refrigerant), 7.8 amps rated current, 165-188 CFM across three fan speeds |
| 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 | Auto-defrost present; hOmeLabs publishes no minimum operating temperature. The listing does warn the unit "emits heat during use" and is "not suitable for use with evaporative coolers" |
| 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 | The same ASIN has been sold as 4,500 sq ft (Walmart's listing, and a cached third-party mirror of the Amazon title) and as 7,000 sq ft (hOmeLabs' own current page and Home Depot's HME031004N pump variant). The hardware did not change by 2,500 sq ft |
| Tank Capacity & Refill Interval | None — plumbed appliance, no water tray | 1.6 gallons (12.8 pints). At the rated 50 pints/day that is four emptyings a day. This machine is the standard illustration of why tank capacity and pints-per-day are the two numbers you must read together |
| 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 | Continuous gravity drain port. No pump on this SKU; hOmeLabs sells a pump variant (HME031004N, Best Buy calls it HME1004). Gravity drainage needs the unit raised above the drain |
| 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 | Claimed in the product titles, but the 50-pint hOmeLabs does not appear in the current ENERGY STAR Certified Dehumidifiers database — only the 24- and 32-pint models do. Treat the badge on this listing as unverified |
| 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 | Not published, and no ENERGY STAR annual-energy figure exists for this model. At the rated 7.8 amps and the duty cycle typical of the class, budget for the same $85-95/yr as its certified 50-pint rivals |
| Noise | Not published by AprilAire for the E080. The E070 on the same chassis family is quoted at 53 dBA ducted | No dB figure published by hOmeLabs. The listing claims "a quiet fan for minimal noise disruption" |
| Warranty (incl. Sealed System) | 5 years on parts and the sealed system | Not published on the hOmeLabs product page used for this entry. hOmeLabs' standard consumer warranty is 12 months with a 2-year extension available on some SKUs; confirm at purchase. No sealed-system term is published |
| Recall History | No CPSC recall found for AprilAire dehumidifiers | No CPSC recall found for hOmeLabs dehumidifiers |
| Warranty | 60 months | 12 months |
| Colors | White | White |
Category Scores
Capacity-Claim Honesty
The AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier leads clearly here, 9.5 against 5.0 — a 4.5-point margin on 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.. If that is what you are buying for, the hOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Moisture Removal
The AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier leads clearly here, 9.0 against 7.5 — a 1.5-point margin on actual water pulled out of the air per day at a condition a home experiences, judged against the DOE-verified figure rather than the coverage claim on the box. If that is what you are buying for, the hOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Cold-Room Performance
The AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier leads clearly here, 6.5 against 4.0 — a 2.5-point margin on what happens in a 50-55°F basement, garage or crawlspace. Compressor coils frost below roughly 65°F and auto-defrost buys back the coil at the cost of runtime; desiccant rotors and hot-gas-defrost units do not care. The single most common mis-buy in the category. If that is what you are buying for, the hOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Drainage & Tank Practicality
The AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier leads clearly here, 7.0 against 4.5 — a 2.5-point margin on tank volume measured against daily output, whether a hose is in the box, whether gravity drainage needs the unit propped up, and whether there is a real pump and how high it lifts. If that is what you are buying for, the hOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Running Cost
The AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier leads clearly here, 6.5 against 4.5 — a 2.0-point margin on the kWh/yr on the ENERGY STAR certification and what it costs at the meter. On a machine that runs most of the year this dominates total ownership cost — often a third of the purchase price annually. If that is what you are buying for, the hOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Quietness
The AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier leads clearly here, 6.0 against 5.5 — a 0.5-point margin on measured dB where published, weighted by where the machine actually lives — a 58 dBA crawlspace unit under a floor is fine, a 54 dB cube next to a desk is not. If that is what you are buying for, the hOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Build & Warranty
The AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier leads clearly here, 9.5 against 4.0 — a 5.5-point margin on coil and cabinet construction, filter grade, and above all the warranty on the sealed system — the compressor is the part that fails and the part most portables cover for only twelve months. If that is what you are buying for, the hOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Value for Money
The hOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N) leads clearly here, 6.5 against 6.0 — a 0.5-point margin on purchase price plus multi-year electricity against verified pints removed and how long the warranty protects the compressor. If that is what you are buying for, the AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier does not close the gap elsewhere.
Best For
Choose the AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier if…
- • Build & Warranty matters most to you — the AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier scores 9.5/10 here (coil and cabinet construction, filter grade, and above all the warranty on the sealed system — the compressor is the part that fails and the part most portables cover for only twelve months).
- • Capacity-Claim Honesty matters most to you — the AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier scores 9.5/10 here (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.).
- • Cold-Room Performance matters most to you — the AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier scores 6.5/10 here (what happens in a 50-55°F basement, garage or crawlspace. Compressor coils frost below roughly 65°F and auto-defrost buys back the coil at the cost of runtime; desiccant rotors and hot-gas-defrost units do not care. The single most common mis-buy in the category).
- • Drainage & Tank Practicality matters most to you — the AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier scores 7.0/10 here (tank volume measured against daily output, whether a hose is in the box, whether gravity drainage needs the unit propped up, and whether there is a real pump and how high it lifts).
- • Running Cost matters most to you — the AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier scores 6.5/10 here (the kWh/yr on the ENERGY STAR certification and what it costs at the meter. On a machine that runs most of the year this dominates total ownership cost — often a third of the purchase price annually).
Choose the hOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N) if…
- • You want to spend less — it's $1,264.90 cheaper.
- • Your main use case is large-room.
Pros & Cons
AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier
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
hOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N)
Pros
- +Cheapest genuine 50-pint here at $242.10, and the most widely owned platform in US basements
- +Its listing is one of the few that spells the scale change out loud — "50 Pint (Previously 70 Pint)"
- +Auto-restart and a 24-hour timer make it a set-and-forget basement machine
- +Parts, filters and support are easy to find precisely because so many were sold
Cons
- −Listings advertise ENERGY STAR, but the 50-pint hOmeLabs is not in the current ENERGY STAR certified database — only the 24- and 32-pint models are
- −The "MAX 120 Pint at 95°F, 90% RH" figure in the title is a saturation number no home will ever see
- −Coverage claim for the same ASIN has drifted from 4,500 to 7,000 sq ft with no hardware change
- −1.6 gallon tank against 50 pints/day: four emptyings a day unless you can gravity-drain it
- −No published dB, no published minimum operating temperature, no published warranty and no published energy consumption
Shop by Need
FAQs
Is the AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier or hOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N) better overall?+
Based on our 8-category scoring, the AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier comes out ahead overall. See the full breakdown in the scores section above — the right pick still depends on which categories matter most for your use case.
Which is better for Build & Warranty, the AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier or the hOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N)?+
The AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier scores higher on Build & Warranty (9.5/10 vs 4.0/10) — coil and cabinet construction, filter grade, and above all the warranty on the sealed system — the compressor is the part that fails and the part most portables cover for only twelve months.
Which is better for Capacity-Claim Honesty, the AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier or the hOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N)?+
The AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier scores higher on Capacity-Claim Honesty (9.5/10 vs 5.0/10) — 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..
Which is better for Cold-Room Performance, the AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier or the hOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N)?+
The AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier scores higher on Cold-Room Performance (6.5/10 vs 4.0/10) — what happens in a 50-55°F basement, garage or crawlspace. Compressor coils frost below roughly 65°F and auto-defrost buys back the coil at the cost of runtime; desiccant rotors and hot-gas-defrost units do not care. The single most common mis-buy in the category.
Which is better for Drainage & Tank Practicality, the AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier or the hOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N)?+
The AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier scores higher on Drainage & Tank Practicality (7.0/10 vs 4.5/10) — tank volume measured against daily output, whether a hose is in the box, whether gravity drainage needs the unit propped up, and whether there is a real pump and how high it lifts.
Is the AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier worth the price difference over the hOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N)?+
The hOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N) is the cheaper option at $242.10 versus $1,507. Whether the pricier model is "worth it" depends on how much you value its lead in Build & Warranty.
Which is better suited to my use case?+
The AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier is the better fit if you mainly care about crawl-space. The hOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N) is the better fit for large-room.
What's the warranty on the AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier vs the hOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N)?+
The AprilAire E080 80-Pint Whole-House Dehumidifier ships with a 60-month warranty; the hOmeLabs 50-Pint Wi-Fi Dehumidifier (HME020031N) ships with a 12-month warranty. Always confirm current terms on the manufacturer's site before buying.
Should I wait for the next model instead of buying either of these?+
If either model is more than two years old, a successor may be close — check the "Latest Model" link on each product page. Otherwise, both are current, well-supported options and there's no strong reason to wait.
Cheaper Option
Waykar PD160B 34-Pint Dehumidifier (2,000 sq ft) — $169.99
Specifications and prices for both products last verified . Scores are calculated from published specifications — see how we compare products.