We recently moved from New Brunswick to our current home in southern Ontario. During the winter months, our house becomes a water wonderland. The windows are covered with condensation from top to bottom. We have a<br />dehumidifier running all day and night in the basement, but it still doesn't help - especially when it gets colder. Would an air exchanger be beneficial? The house is only five years old.

From my experience, new homes have a tendency to be very airtight. A lot of these homes should have heat recovery ventilators (HRVs) in them.<br /><br />Having an airtight home means there is not enough air leakage in the building envelope to ventilate the home naturally. The humidity that is generated in your home is staying there, and the moisture in the air is condensing on the cold glass of your windows. Moisture may be condensing<br />in areas that you can not see. All this can lead to mould problems, which is not healthy. Indoor air quality can be<br />compromised, and you may feel unwell.<br /><br />You may find that exhaust fans in your home seem not to work well. This is because they can not exhaust air out of the house unless air comes in from outside the building, through leakage areas in the envelope of the house.<br /><br />I would recommend having an energy advisor do an energy audit, including a blower door test. The blower door test will reveal where your house stands with regards to ventilation,<br />and the advisor will leave you with proper recommendations. An energy advisor who was certified by the now-cancelled EnerGuide for Houses program would be your best bet.