The heat that a dehumidifier puts out is a plus, as I see it. The process of condensing water on a surface generates heat. Of course, this isn't so welcome in summer.
Condensing water (into rain) is the power source in hurricanes, tornado's and your everyday thunderstorm . . . but on a very large scale.
In my opinion, the most important criteria in the selection of a dehumidifier is the noise level. Consumer Reports once recommended a LG model as being very quiet. I bought one, and took it right back. It was very irritating. The lower rated Frigidaire model proved to be very quiet. One never knows until one tries something out . . . and in this case, who knows? Maybe it was something to do with my hearing. Or a 'bad' LG compared to a 'good' Frigidaire.