Guess that might be why our electric is a bit high. We have a small portable, 50 pints dehumidifier......Anyway we have no other choice or alternative. The basement is damp and humid...We have rented the basement out for the past several years and no one has complained.. I've been here since June of 2009 and I noticed it around October..........But then we had wall to wall carpet and two years ago we installed laminated floor that looks like hardwood... Maybe that makes a difference? I dunno, just know one can not live in the basement without a dehumidifier..Actually we need two dehumidifier or one large one....Even if no one lived in the basement, the damp, moist air would only grow more mold and mildew. Which I am thinking we already have, as I need to get that mold/mildew test from Home Depot......