Humidity is the amount of moisture or water vapor in the air. You, your family, and your pets produce moisture when you breathe or perspire, when you are cooking, showering, bathing, doing laundry, and dish washing. We need humidity for our comfort and health. But too much or too little humidity can produce a host of difficulties for householders.

In our Newfoundland climate we are usually on the “too much humidity” side of the equation. Fortunately it can be controlled. I have been in my home for 4 years and each time I added more insulation, a new window, caulked and sealed around the outside of my house I noticed more condensation on my windows, a higher heat bill…opposite to what I expected. The problem was I was trapping in moist air.

Two months ago I installed an HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilator) and noticed remarkable changes. All new homes come equipped with an HRV but for those with older pre-existing homes I highly recommend having an HRV installed. You can also make simple changes in your family’s habits, such as remembering to open or close doors or windows, turning on exhaust fans in bathrooms or kitchens, to remove excess humidity.