Energy Efficiency Audits & Contracting in Midcoast Maine
Evergreen Your Home: an energy efficiency blog
Subscribe to our RSS feed!We're Small Business of the Year!
We'd heard that we should really be at the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce awards dinner Saturday night, so we had an inkling that something was up.
Still, we didn't dare think we might be named Small Business of the Year. Not until the presenter referred to this year's winner as "geekishly committed to their mission," with the aside that "it's on their website, so I'm going with it," did we even consider it.
Home Performance + Thoughtful HVAC = Right-Sized Comfort and Efficiency
It happens all the time.
This year's mild temperatures notwithstanding, long, cold winters loom large in our memories. Homeowners don't want to be uncomfortable, and HVAC contractors don't want to be called back because the heating system can't keep up. So systems get sized a little big, just to be on the safe side. An over-sized system compensates for leaks in the building envelope and eliminates many comfort complaints. Sure, it costs more up-front and wastes energy and money for the life of the system, but that's the way it goes.
This Old (BPI-test) House
It's been a big week for this 1933 Rockland bungalow. First, This Old House features the home as part of its Best Old House Neighborhoods special - and the story gets picked up from Bangor to Chicago. (We're keeping tabs, because this adorable, ultra-efficient house belongs to Energy Advisor Jessie Davis.)
Teaming Up to Better Serve Homeowners
The news: We've forged an innovative partnership with Maritime Energy designed to help homeowners and businesses satisfy their energy needs through good fuel service and energy efficiency.
The thinking: The reality is that even after extensive efficiency upgrades, the vast majority of our customers still need some level of fuel. We’re proud to work with a fuel provider that has customers’ best interests at heart. “Maritime’s proactive efforts to encourage energy efficiency really impress us,” said Evergreen Home Performance President Richard Burbank. “They understand that homeowners want – and need – to cut their energy waste, and they’re willing to adjust budget plans to reflect the savings homeowners achieve with energy efficiency projects.”
Video: The Interconnected House
A very entertaining video showing the connection between ice dams and home performance.
This is the house that Jack built. Since Jack's house is a system, having one element out of balance creates a whole series of problems. It's possible to focus your home improvement dollars on addressing one symptom at a time, but this video shows how costly (and inefficient) that can be.
Energy Efficiency Financing Made Easy
Energy efficiency is regularly called our cheapest, cleanest, and fastest energy source. It’s good for home comfort and safety, good for our pocketbooks, and good for the Earth – so it’s easy to agree that efficiency is a good idea. Financing that efficiency, on the other hand, has been the elephant in the middle of many a home energy audit.
Two long-term loan programs from Efficiency Maine make financing easier than ever. Both offer 4.99% APR and no closing costs, but there are a few key differences. Here’s a primer:
If you live in a town that has opted in to PACE: You can borrow $6500-$15,000 for up to 15 years. You’ll need an energy audit to identify the most cost-effective improvements and confirm energy savings of at least 20%, so look for a contractor that includes this analysis.
"Drafty Bulkheads" Win Spelling Bee!
In the world of wine, a jeroboam is a double magnum, equal to four regular bottles. The word had a different meaning at the Rockland Public Library Spelling Bee Tuesday night: victory.
Cree Hale Krull, Elise Brown, Svea Tullberg, and Ham Niles represented Evergreen, calling themselves the Drafty Bulkheads. The team considered calling themselves the Home Performers, the Net-Zeros, or even Free Beer ("everyone cheers for Free Beer," explained Niles), but settled on Drafty Bulkheads because "it sounds vaguely self-deprecating," said Hale Krull.
Guest Column: Tom Kruzshak & Evergreen
As a realtor with Sotheby's, Tom Kruzshak sees a lot of lovely houses. He also thinks about how those houses will feel - and function - for their new owners. After meeting Evergreen President Richard Burbank at a pre-sale audit, Tom decided to tackle energy efficiency in his own home. This is his Evergreen Story:
Camden's First PACE Project
Camden Select Board Member Jim Heard is getting an energy efficiency upgrade, thanks to the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Program and Evergreen Home Performance. Heard and his wife, Misty Van Kennen, are the first Camden residents to take advantage of what he calls “this incredible opportunity.”
Rockland Public Library: The Grand Finale
We've been keeping the news of our final test-out at the Rockland Public Library under wraps, but now that The Bangor Daily News, The Free Press, and The Coastal Journal have broken the story, we're ready to dish.
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