What's the best way to dry out my basement in the summer? Would it work to open a window down there or will I need a fan? If a fan is needed, how much would this add to my electric bill?

A good fan won't use a lot of electricity, but ventilating the basement will probably make your basement wetter. You see, when you put a fan in a basement window and set it to exhaust air out, you'll draw in air from other areas of the house or from the outdoors. If air from your living spaces is higher in humidity than your basement, its moisture content will condense on cooler surfaces, resulting in a wetter basement. The same phenomenon can occur if warm, moist, outdoor summer air enters a cool basement.

The way to keep airborne moisture out is to keep the basement as closed to the outside as possible. Seal basement vents and windows and even insulate windows if you don't need the daylight. Make sure that any basement doors to the outside fit well and have weather-tight seals (bulkhead doors are not airtight).

If, however, the moisture in your basement isn't coming from the air but from the ground, you have a bigger job on your hands. Speak to a contractor, who specializes in foundation building/rebuilding, about addressing the drainage outside of your foundation. Typically, this job entails re-grading the ground and installing rain gutters and proper foundation drainage. It's an expensive project, but one that will mean a dry basement, a longer-lasting house, and healthier indoor air.

- Li Ling for The Home Team

I'm in the planning stages of building a new house. When it comes to the heating system, I'd like to know what the electricity impact will be. I know that furnaces have fans, but how much electricity do they really use? What about electricity use for boilers and pellet stoves? Thanks for your help.

Each of these heating systems uses electricity for fans or pumps that either move heat into your living space or exhaust combustion gases from the house, or both. New furnaces can use between 100 and 1,800 (kWh) of electricity per year. Boilers use up to about 400 kWh/year and pellet stoves use about 100 kWh/year. At a rate of 12.5 cents per kWh, that adds up to, respectively, about $12.50 to $225, $50, and $12.50 in annual electric costs.

If you opt for a furnace, look for an ENERGY STAR® qualified model with an efficient fan motor, which is sometimes called an ECM or brushless DC motor. These fans use half to two-thirds the electricity of standard furnace fans. Another energy-saving furnace feature is a variablespeed fan with a multistage burner, which reduces airflow and burner output to match the heat needs of a house. Also, well-installed ductwork can save both electricity and heating fuel while increasing your comfort.

There's more energy-saving info available for newhome builders than I can fit in this column. However, Efficiency Vermont's "Vermont ENERGY STAR Homes" program can provide it. We'll help you think through questions like this and many others and we'll provide testing of the new house to ensure that your efficiency goals are met. You can visit www.efficiencyvermont. com or call 888- 921-5990, toll-free, to learn more. Best of luck with your house!

- Bob for The Home Team