Total Air Purifier Cost

You bought an air cleaner. How much will the air purifier cost you each year?

Most air purifiers work in the same way. A fan pulls air into the machine. Then, air is forced through the filter which removes polluntants. Finally, the clean air is released back into the room. How each air purifier does this differs and this causes an amazing range in the price of purifiers.

Air purifiers range in price from under $200 to over $1000. Many things can affect the price. The most common factors that determine the price are:

• The size of the machine
• The size of the fan
• The type of filter
• Material used in construction
• The contruction methods

Maintenance Cost

Air purifiers must be maintained in order to keep working efficiently. If they have a media filter, it will have to be replaced regularly.

When you go to buy air purifiers, be sure to check the price of replacement filters. The cost of media and activated carbon filters will vary from one manufacturer to the next. This results from differences in size, material, and construction methods.

Make sure to check how much a replacement filter for you air purifier cost and how often you need to replace it. Also consider how dirty your air is. Following the steps listed above about removing sources of pollution will make your air cleaner so the filters will last longer. If your air is dirty, then the filter will not last as long. You might have to replace the filter sooner than recommended.

Sometimes the replacement filters end up costing more than the air purifier did. We have seen a $100 air purifier require a new filter every 6 months. The filter are $75 each. So the filters cost more each year than the air purifier cost.

On the other hand, we have also seen a purifier cost $400. The replacement filters cost $250 but only require replacement every 5 years.

Be aware of how often you will have to change the filters and how much they will cost.

Now, if you have an electrostatic precipitator, you don't have to worry about replacing filter. You will have to commit to cleaning the metal collector plates every week.

Electricity

Another consideration is the cost of electricity needed to run the purifier. For best results you should keep the air purifier running all the time. If the unit uses a lot of electricity it might get very expensive. Luckily, many purifiers are very energy efficient. They use the same amount of energy as a 60 watt light bulb.

You should check the wattage before you buy one. Each machine should have the wattage listed. If not you can find wattage by multiplying Volts X Amps.

You pay for electricity by the KiloWatt Hour (kWH). To figure out how much the purifier will cost you in energy use the following calculations.

• watts / 1000 = kilowatts

• Kilowatts * hours per day * days = kilowatt hours

• kilowatt hours * price per kilowatt hour = total cost

Let's look at an example to make it easier to understand. Your air purifier uses 50 watts of energy. You keep it running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. How much would this cost you in one year? We will assume that energy cost $0.0886 per kWH.

1. 50 watts / 1000 = 0.05 kilowatts

2. 0.05 kW * 24 hours a day * 365 days a year = 468 kWH

3. 468 kWH * $0.0886 = $38.81 per year

So for this person, it will cost about $39 a year to use this air purifier.

Summary

When considering how much an air purifier cost be sure to consider these three things. First, look at how much the air purifier itself cost. Second, look at how much it will cost to replace the filters. This can turn out to be more than you paid for the air purifier. And finally, look at how much it will cost you in electricity each year.