The homes, commercial, and residential buildings in Maine are among the oldest in the country, and the architecture of these buildings helps define the character of New England’s towns.  Unfortunately, it also helps define our fuel bills.

Last year, the historic Rockland Public Library took control of those bills with an energy efficiency retrofit that cut the historic building’s energy use in half.  Evergreen's six-week, 1000-labor-hour insulation and airsealing project got a lot of attention - enough so that the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association asked the Library to participate in this year’s Green Buildings Open House on Saturday, October 13.

"We believe the Public Library in Rockland, Maine is a great example of energy efficiency,” said NESEA’s Kelsey Hobson.  “This is a great opportunity to show people the energy efficiency makeover that the library has undergone."

The Library is one of more than 500 sites participating in the Open House, which kicks off National Energy Action Month by offering inspiration and information about energy efficiency.  Rockland’s Energy Committee will lead brief tours of the building and explain key aspects of the upgrades from 11 am to 3 pm, and Evergreen will give presentations on the project at 11:30 am and 1:30 pm.