The cheapest air purifiers to run
Ranked on annual electricity at a constant run, computed from AHAM's certified wattage. The spread across the purifiers we list is more than thirtyfold, and it is the number no retailer prints.
Data current as of October 23, 2026 · 207 certified units · source AHRI + ENERGY STAR
What it costs to leave running
A purifier only works while it is on, so most people leave it on — and across the 207 units here with a certified wattage that costs anywhere from $11 to $340 a year in electricity at the same tariff, a 31× spread. Median $50. Over five years the gap between the ends is larger than most of these machines cost to buy, and no retailer prints it, because it takes AHAM's certified wattage joined to a power price.
True HEPA
134 of 207
carry a true-HEPA filter. CADR already measures what actually reaches the room, so a high CADR without the HEPA label still cleans — the label is not the performance.
CADR and coverage are AHAM-certified; wattage is AHAM's smoke-mode figure. Annual cost assumes continuous running at $0.1883/kWh, the EIA US average — divide by your own hours if you run it less. Replacement filters are the other running cost and are not in this figure; AHAM does not certify filter price or life, so we do not estimate it.
The 20 highest-$/yr to run of 207 certified units · 1 with a verified place to buy
| Brand & model | $/yr to run | Coverage | Smoke CADR | Watts | Buy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEVOIT LAP-C171-QCAR | $11 | 53 sq ft | 34 | 7 W | no listing | |
| LEVOIT LAP-C171-PCAR | $11 | 53 sq ft | 34 | 7 W | no listing | |
| LEVOIT LAP-C171-GACAR | $11 | 53 sq ft | 34 | 7 W | no listing | |
| LEVOIT LAP-C171-DCAR | $11 | 53 sq ft | 34 | 7 W | no listing | |
| LEVOIT LAP-C171-BCAL | $11 | 53 sq ft | 34 | 7 W | no listing | |
| LEVOIT LAP-C171-RCUSR | $11 | 53 sq ft | 34 | 7 W | no listing | |
| LEVOIT LAP-C171-RCCAR | $11 | 53 sq ft | 34 | 7 W | no listing | |
| LEVOIT LAP-C171-ACAR | $11 | 53 sq ft | 34 | 7 W | no listing | |
| LEVOIT LAP-C171-BAUSR | $11 | 53 sq ft | 34 | 7 W | no listing | |
| LEVOIT LAP-C171-BUSL | $11 | 53 sq ft | 34 | 7 W | no listing | |
| LEVOIT LAP-C171-GAUSR | $11 | 53 sq ft | 34 | 7 W | no listing | |
| LEVOIT LAP-C171-BACAR | $11 | 53 sq ft | 34 | 7 W | no listing | |
| LEVOIT LAP-C171-DUSR | $11 | 53 sq ft | 34 | 7 W | no listing | |
| LEVOIT LAP-C171-PUSR | $11 | 53 sq ft | 34 | 7 W | no listing | |
| WOZOYO Pure Air PA1 | $15 | 62 sq ft | 40 | 9 W | Buy | |
| WOZOYO Pure Air PA7 | $15 | 62 sq ft | 40 | 9 W | no listing | |
| Honeywell HPA125B | $20 | 110 sq ft | 71 | 12 W | no listing | |
| Honeywell HPA125V | $20 | 110 sq ft | 71 | 12 W | no listing | |
| Honeywell HPA125W | $20 | 110 sq ft | 71 | 12 W | no listing | |
| Momcozy AP01-A | $22 | 73 sq ft | 47 | 14 W | no listing |
Showing the top 20 by $/yr to run. All 207 certified units in this group are filterable in the full product list — we rank here rather than dump, because a table nobody can read is not a resource.
Capacity and efficiency are AHRI-certified values; $/MMBtu is computed by us from EIA energy prices — see methodology. Heat at 5°F is the number that decides whether a heat pump keeps up in real cold, and most listings omit it.