Sticky situation: not all Hong Kong dehumidifiers doing what they claim, Consumer Council testing finds
- Testing at higher temperatures and humidity levels offers touted results that many dehumidifiers will not match in real world situations
- Energy efficiency also found to vary widely, prompting call for consumer caution
The dehumidifiers in many Hong Kong homes are not all they claim to be, the city’s consumer watchdog warned on Monday, with 40 per cent of those tested showing lower dehumidifying capacity than advertised.
The Consumer Council and the city’s Electrical and Mechanical Services Department jointly tested 14 models of dehumidifiers – including four 2-in-1 air-purifying models and 10 conventional versions – for dehumidifying performance, safety and ease of use.
The tests found six of the 14 had a lower daily dehumidifying capacity than claimed on their mandatory energy labels when measured under a standard testing environment of 26.7 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit) and 60 per cent relative humidity, extracting anywhere from 8.77 to 17.9 litres (2.3 to 4.7 US gallons) of moisture a day.
Manufacturers, however, have been testing their capacity under a considerably warmer and wetter environment – 30 degrees Celsius and 80 per cent relative humidity – which the council said can show a higher daily dehumidifying capacity.
“The council has repeatedly urged manufacturers not to claim and advertise the daily dehumidifying capacity measured under their own test environment, because it does not reflect the actual circumstances of use,” Professor Nora Tam Fung-yee, chairwoman of the Consumer Council’s research and testing committee, said at a press conference.