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Per Does running a dehumidifier with an AC unit save money?, I understand that while a house is occupied, it doesn't make sense to run both an AC unit at normalish temperatures (maybe 75), and a dehumidifier.

Elsewhere, I have read that if you are going on vacation, you should run your AC unit full blast for a couple hours and then bump it to something like 85 for the rest of the day. The couple of on hours help to dehumidify, while you save money for the other hours of the day. For example.

I am wondering if it makes sense to have a dehumidifier running all the time while I just leave my AC at 85, say.

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fratrik
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  • Are you taking about replacing a whole house A/C system with a whole house dehumidifier, replacing a whole house A/C system with an area dehumidifier, or replacing an area A/C unit with an area dehumidifier? – Tester101 Jun 01 '15 at 16:08
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    possible duplicate of [Does running a dehumidifier with an AC unit save money?](http://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/66669/does-running-a-dehumidifier-with-an-ac-unit-save-money) – Ecnerwal Jun 01 '15 at 16:35
  • I'm not talking about replacing the A/C system. I'm wondering if A/C at 85 + area dehumdifier is better than A/C at (85 for 22 hours, 72 for 2 hours). – fratrik Jun 01 '15 at 21:32
  • An air conditioning unit and a dehumidifier are pretty much the same thing. The only difference is that one ejects the hot air to the outside. – DA01 Jun 01 '15 at 22:49
  • I guess "replacing" was the wrong word to use, what I was trying to understand is if you were going to use a dehumidifier that was not designed to cover the entire area of your home. Since it sounds like that's what your plan was, I'd say (dependent on the size of your home) it's not likely that a small room sized dehumidifier would keep up. – Tester101 Jun 02 '15 at 14:48

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No, a separate dehumidifier is not better. It simply does not have the airflow of the AC. Running the central AC at 72 for an hour or two in the morning is a good idea to remove the moisture from the air.

longneck
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  • Would installing (or already having) a whole house dehumidifier change your answer at all? – Tester101 Jun 02 '15 at 14:44
  • That is a horse of a different color. I took the question to mean a portable dehumidifier. – longneck Jun 02 '15 at 14:46
  • I agree, I'm just curious how a whole house unit would compare, since you say air flow is the major problem. I agree that your answer is correct for this specific situation. – Tester101 Jun 02 '15 at 14:59