Will a dehumidifer help - or other suggestions

Shrimply

Hi guys, looking for a bit of advice.

I currently live in an attic flat and have been considering a dehumidifier. But it's a rented property, and I (probably) won't be there this time next year. So £125 seems like a lot of money to spend, it would have to be a desiccant type as the flat is reasonably cold. So I'm also a bit concerned about a large increase in the electricity bill too (I currently pay a direct debt of £20 for gas and electricity).

I did invest in a cheap hydrometer and the readings in the flat are reasonably high providing it's accurate (60 ~70%). But I don't really think I particularly have a damp problem, there is certainly no evidence of this anywhere other than around the windows. And the small amount of dampness that does occasionally appear on the walls I think directly runs through the wood surrounding the windows.

So the reason for asking the question is that on cold mornings the bedroom windows are streaming with water but I believe that a large part of this is due to the blinds being closed (which is really unavoidable) and blocking airflow across the windows (I additionally suspect the blinds might hold a bit of moisture themselves adding to the problem). I usually have the blinds partially closed and the bottom of the window which is not covered is often free from any condensation at all.

I dry the windows every morning and open the for a while to allow some air flow.

Has anyone got any thoughts or ideas? It would be lovely to wake up to dry windows every morning but I don't want to invest in a dehumidifier for it not to work, or to only be effective if running 24/7 and costing a fortune in electricity.

DREKLY

Here you go, Shrimply,
http://www.bmstores.co.uk/products/goodmans-dehumidifier-314337

alternatively, move to Arizona, then you will wake up to clear dry windows!

beduth

Get a dehumidifier, you can take it with you when you move. And I am sure you will never be without one in the future.

lightyearsboi

I used to run one for 7 hours a day and it cost about £20 a month to run. I found it noisy to run.

Scrimps

We had the same problem in our house, its a pain to wipe the windows down each morning, then hang the towel up in the house to humidfy the house again! (when it was raining out)

The house is mortgaged so we got double glazing, which is no help to you but! if I didnt have that option I was considering a window vac type thing. The link below shows a useful thing from lakeland.

http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/house-garden/best-window-cleaning-tools-vacuums-sprays-squeegees-10190489.html

We still run a couple of dehumidifiiers in the evening as well as ventilating during the day. The desicant one is the best and I use it to dry clothes when there is no dry weather forecast (Cornwall - we go a long time without dry weather forecast ) So it is still useful beyond just controlling humidity.