Kincardine:
252 Queen St.
Kincardine, ON N2Z 2S5
Phone: (519) 396-1300
Fax: (519) 396-5445
Port Elgin:
1040 Goderich St
Port Elgin, ON N2Z 3A2
Phone: (519) 832-1300
Fax: (519) 832-1301
How to Control Condensation 
Condensation on the interior surface of windows is a very common occurrence in modern day homes. This is simply telling you that the surface temperature of the window is too cold for the relative humidity level in your home. Or, you can look at it as the relative humidity level in your home is too high for the temperature of the glass, whatever way sounds the best to you. Because of this, you can control window condensation by either warming up the surface of the window, or lowering the relative humidity level in your home.
Control the relative humidity level:
Modern homes are built with a very tight envelope to maximize energy efficiency. This is terrific for reducing energy costs, and is definitely a best practice. The down side is that the moisture, odors and other pollutants that are created from normal living routines have no way to get out of the house, without a mechanical ventilation system. Most homes today do not have anything more than a few bath fans that only get used sparingly, and that cannot keep up with the constant generation of pollutants. The average adult puts a pint of water per day into the air just by breathing, not to mention the added water vapor from bathing, cooking, washing, and house plants. Contractors that know these details will suggest, or sometimes even demand that every house they build is equipped with a continuous ventilation system. These systems are continuously exhausting moist, stale air from the home while at the same time bringing in fresh outdoor air. So, if bath fans are all you currently have, the periodic use of bath fans, and when weather permits, opening the windows can help control the moisture level in the home. Cold climate houses are much more susceptible to window condensation issues due to the windows being colder in the winter, so in the winter months, a relative humidity level of 30%-35% is recommended. If this is too low for your specific comfort level, then lets look into the other option, raising the temperature of the glass in the windows.
Raise the temperature of the windows:
The funny thing is, everyone and their grandmother knows how to do this in a car. If your window fogs up, you just turn the defrost on and blow hot air on it. The exact same thing applies to windows in a house! So how do we blow hot air on them? The most common thing that restricts the warm airflow is window treatments (curtains/blinds etc.) These are usually mounted tight to the top of the window jambs, and go all the way down to the bottom, which actually makes them colder. They have no way of getting any of the warm house air onto them whenever the shades are down. Even a very thin, lacey type curtain is enough to restrict the airflow. Now, I realize that privacy can be an issue, but even raising the shades up a few inches can make a big difference.
Do both at once:
If your furnace or air handler is equipped with a fresh air intake, you can use the fan in it to both raise the temperature of your windows and lower the relative humidity level in the homes, at least during the winter months. When it is cold outside, the colder outside air has a much lower ability to hold moisture. By switching your furnace fan to "on" instead of "auto", you will be bringing in the dryer winter air to replace the moist air inside the home, while at the same time you will be circulating more air across the surface of the windows which will raise the surface temperature. Some people have left their furnace fan on for years just for this purpose. It can be very minimal on the cost side depending on what type of furnace fan motor you have. Another additional benefit from this method is that you will be continually filtering the air in your home with the furnace filter. Using a filter with a rating of MERV 8 or higher is recommended.
