AprilAire E100 Dehumidifier Review: Whole-House Capacity With a 50°F Floor
A 100-pint unit that runs standalone in a basement or ducts into the house’s air system. It needs a drain, a basement that stays at 50°F or warmer, and an installer if you duct it.
The E100 is the unit I’d buy after a 50-pint portable like the Midea Cube has run around the clock for weeks and the hygrometer still reads high, in a basement that holds 50°F or warmer through the winter. AprilAire rates it at 100 pints a day at 80°F and 85 at 73°F, and ENERGY STAR lists it as meeting its Most Efficient criteria. Against the Santa Fe Classic, it costs a little over half as much at Sylvane and is rated to run 6 degrees colder. The base model has no bucket and no hose in the box, so the water has to reach a floor drain or a condensate pump.
Ran a 50-pint unit nonstop and the humidity stayed high
Have a basement that stays at 50°F or warmer all winter
Have a floor drain or sump close by, or will fit a condensate pump
Want the option to duct it later and dry the floors upstairs as well
Have a basement that drops below 50°F (the Midea Cube is rated to 41°F, the Hisense to 38°F)
Have a moderately damp basement under 2,000 sq ft, where ENERGY STAR’s table points to a 35-pint unit
Want to plug it in and walk away; the base model ships without a hose
| Spec | AprilAire E100 |
|---|---|
| Price | $1,873.00 at Sylvane (base E100: plug-in, no Wi-Fi) |
| Advisor Score | 3.8 out of 5 (how it is scored) |
| Moisture removal | 100 pints/day at 80°F, 85 at 73°F (both at 60% RH) |
| Efficiency | 2.35 L/kWh at 73°F (ENERGY STAR, Most Efficient); 2.6 at 80°F (AprilAire) |
| Yearly energy | 821 kWh (ENERGY STAR) |
| Coverage | Up to 5,500 sq ft (AprilAire’s figure, via Sylvane) |
| Dehumidifying range | Inlet air 50°F to 104°F, 40°F minimum dew point |
| Drainage | 3/4-in threaded drain connection; no bucket, no internal pump, no hose with the base model |
| Airflow and ducting | 280 CFM; two 10-in duct collars included |
| Humidity setting | 40 to 80 percent, on the unit |
| Filter | Washable MERV 8 (AprilAire part 5881) |
| Size and weight | 14 x 15 x 26 in, 64 lb |
| Noise | 55 dB maximum (Sylvane; no distance given) |
| Warranty | 5 years (AprilAire spec sheet); Sylvane: 5-year replacement, 1-year parts |
How much water it removes
AprilAire’s spec sheet gives 100 pints a day at 80°F and 60 percent relative humidity, and 85 pints at 73°F. ENERGY STAR certifies it at the same 85 under the Department of Energy’s whole-home test, which runs at 73°F. Household portables are tested at 65°F instead, and that’s where the Midea Cube’s 50 pints comes from, so the two labels don’t line up. AprilAire publishes no 65°F figure. A basement in the 60s sits below both of AprilAire’s test points, so I’d plan on less than 85 there.
The one condition AprilAire and Santa Fe both publish is 80°F, where Santa Fe claims 110 pints for the Classic to AprilAire’s 100. That 10-pint gap at 80°F is the only published capacity edge either way.
The 50°F floor
The spec sheet lists 50°F as the lowest inlet air temperature for dehumidifying, with a 40°F minimum dew point. Sylvane’s listing gives 40°F as the minimum operating temperature; I go by AprilAire’s sheet. Sylvane also lists an automatic defrost that shuts the compressor off and runs the fan until the coil clears.
Leave a thermometer in the basement for a week in January before you spend this much. A finished basement on the house’s heat will usually read above 50°F; an unheated one in the 40s from December to March won’t, and there a portable rated to 41°F or one of the cold-basement picks is the better buy.
Drainage and installation
Water leaves through a 3/4-inch threaded drain connection. The base E100 has no bucket, no internal pump and no hose in the box. The E100C version adds casters and a 10-foot drain hose. The plug-in models come with an 8-foot cord; the E100H is hardwired instead, and the E100W adds Wi-Fi and a color display.
With no floor drain or sump nearby, you need a condensate pump. Sylvane sells a basement installation package for the E080 and E100 built around a low-profile condensate pump with a 20-foot hose; it also adds AprilAire’s Model 76 digital control and a hanging kit.
Most basements can start standalone: set it on the floor or hang it from the kit, plug it in and run the drain line. If the rooms upstairs turn out to be damp too, it ducts through its two 10-inch collars, with the supply collar on the top or the side. AprilAire strongly recommends professional installation, and for the ducted setup I’d follow that.
Running cost
ENERGY STAR puts the E100 at 821 kWh a year. At the August 2026 US average residential price of 18.16 cents per kWh (EIA), that’s about $149 a year. The Midea Cube’s ENERGY STAR figure of 515 kWh works out to about $94. The two come from different tests, so treat each as a rough yearly estimate for that unit alone.
Filter and noise
It ships with a washable MERV 8 filter, AprilAire part 5881, which Sylvane lists as fitting the E080, E100 and E100C. AprilAire also makes a disposable MERV 11 replacement, part 5947.
Sylvane lists 55 dB maximum without saying how far away it was measured. Its figure for the Santa Fe Classic, 58 to 62 dB, comes with a distance of 6 feet, so the two can’t be lined up directly.
Warranty and owner reviews
AprilAire’s spec sheet lists a 5-year warranty. Sylvane describes it as a 5-year replacement warranty plus a 1-year parts warranty without saying how the two interact, so read the owner’s manual before you count on year-four repairs. On Sylvane, the E100 averaged 4.9 out of 5 from 31 reviews in November 2026. That’s a small sample next to the Santa Fe Classic’s 289 reviews on the same site.
Why the Advisor Score is 3.8
The Advisor Score averages four marks from published specs. The E100 gets 5 for warranty, which the score marks by the length of the stated term (5 years), and 5 for 5,500 square feet of rated coverage. Drainage scores 3: a drain connection, but no hose with the base model and no bucket to earn the tank point. The 50°F floor scores 2. That’s 3.75, shown as 3.8, ahead of the Santa Fe Classic’s 3.3 and behind the Midea Cube’s 4.3. Pints a day and price aren’t among the four marks, so the score undersells what this unit is for.
| AprilAire E100 | Santa Fe Classic | Midea Cube 50-pint | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advisor Score | 3.8 | 3.3 | 4.3 |
| Rated capacity | 100 pints at 80°F; 85 at 73°F | 110 pints at 80°F; 76 at 65°F | 50 pints at 65°F |
| Lowest rated temperature | 50°F | 56°F | 41°F |
| Drainage | Drain connection, no hose (base model) | Gravity drain, 6-ft hose included | 4.2-gal bucket or included hose |
| Ducting | Yes, two 10-in collars | Optional | No |
| Weight | 64 lb | 110 lb | 41.5 lb |
| Warranty | 5 years (replacement; 1 year on parts per Sylvane) | 5 years complete, 6 on components | 1 year |
Alternatives
Midea Cube 50-pint
Start with the Midea Cube 50-Pint review. It’s rated to 41°F, ships with a hose and cost a fraction of the E100 at Amazon’s November 2026 prices. If ENERGY STAR’s table puts your basement at 50 pints or less, the sizing guide will point you there first.
Santa Fe Classic
For the most pints at 80°F in a basement that holds 56°F or warmer, read the Santa Fe Classic review; it comes with a 6-foot hose and six years on components. The whole-house vs portable guide compares its noise and owner reviews with the E100’s.
What humidity should I set it to?
The control runs from 40 to 80 percent. EPA’s mold guidance says to keep indoor humidity below 60 percent, ideally between 30 and 50, so I’d start at 50 and check a separate hygrometer after a week.
Can it go in a crawl space?
Sylvane lists crawl spaces and attics among its locations, and a hanging installation is possible, but the 50°F floor applies there too. For a sealed crawl space, AprilAire’s smaller E070 and the other units in the crawl space guide are sized for the job.
Is the Wi-Fi version worth it?
Only if you want to watch the humidity from your phone. The E100W uses AprilAire’s Healthy Air app and costs more at Sylvane; the base model’s onboard control does the same dehumidifying.
The upgrade for a warm basement
I’d buy the E100 for a basement that reads 50°F or warmer in January, has a drain or room for a pump, and has already kept a 50-pint portable running nonstop without bringing the hygrometer down. Between the two big units, I’d pick the E100 unless the basement stays at 56°F or warmer and you want the Classic’s extra 10 pints at 80°F. If you haven’t tried a 50-pint unit yet, start with the Midea Cube and a hygrometer.
Specifications come from AprilAire’s E100 spec sheet, checked against Sylvane’s listing; efficiency and yearly energy come from ENERGY STAR’s certified product data, and the electricity price from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (August 2026, preliminary). Owner reviews are from Sylvane, checked November 2026. This page contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, Dehumidifier Advisor may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure for details.