The work deals with the renovation of a dehumidification dryer in a small wood processing company. The actual condition of the drying kiln and the dehumidification unit was analysed, drying schedules for spruce, beech and oak of different thicknesses were developed and calculations of the energy consumption, the required unit power, and the drying costs were carried out. The results show that dehumidification drying is most efficient with thinner assortments and higher initial moisture contents, with spruce proving to be the most energy and cost-efficient wood species. Energy consumption and costs increase significantly with wood thickness, with oak being the most costly to dry. It was found that heat losses are highest in winter, which leads to higher operating costs. Based on the analyses, the optimal solution was determined to be the installation of a dehumidification unit with a nominal power of around 5 kW in combination with more efficient fans, which would enable lower energy consumption, a more even air flow through the stack and a better quality of the dried wood.
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