Camden’s First PACE Project

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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.”

Under PACE, homeowners pursuing eligible energy improvements can borrow up to $15,000 at 4.99 percent. The loans have a term of up to 15 years and are transferrable upon the sale of a property. “At these rates, and amortized over this many years – PACE makes energy efficiency really affordable, even if cash flow is a concern,” said Heard. “This will be money well spent.”

Heard and Van Kennen worked with Evergreen to engineer a comprehensive project that improves their comfort and reduces their overall energy use by at least 25%, as required by PACE. Energy Advisor Brian Robinson recommended sealing attic air leaks and installing dense-packed cellulose in the attic and sidewalls.

“The fiberglass they had in the attic really wasn’t the right product for the job, and it wasn’t very well installed,” Robinson explained. Fiberglass insulation is porous, which means any drafts travel through it easily. Air sealing prevents those drafts, and dense-packed cellulose provides a much more efficient layer of insulation.

“I really hope people will recognize what an opportunity this is and jump on board,” said Heard. “I don’t like heating the outdoors if I don’t have to, and this is something we can do to control how much energy we use.”

PACE may be new to Camden, but it’s not new to Evergreen Home Performance. We helped Rockland homeowners Michael and Jody Herbert cut their energy consumption by 35% in Maine’s first PACE project. Federally funded and administered by Efficiency Maine, the PACE program must be authorized in each municipality before homeowners can apply for a loan, and was adopted by Camden voters last November. For more information about PACE, including a list of the 108 Maine municipalities that have already adopted the program, visit www.SaveLikeaMainer.com.

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Owls Head

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South Portland

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Yarmouth

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Portland

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We had Evergreen come out to our tiny old (100+ year old) house to see what they would recommend for decreasing our carbon footprint, saving money, and increasing our comfort in the cold season. Richard and Bryan were great to work with, patiently answering our many questions and walking us through multiple options. We could only afford to tackle a few areas this year; we ended up replacing some windows and having them weatherize the entire house.

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Falmouth

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Update 12/2018: Evergreen has completed Phase II of my house (insulating and installing air/moisture barrier on exterior walls, replacing old windows) and now that heating season is upon us, the difference is astonishing. The house is tight as a drum and so easy to keep warm. Worth every penny. Thank you all! Working with Evergreen was a positive experience from start (no charge energy audit) to finish (a MUCH more comfortable home). Brian Robinson spent a lot of time with me on the audit, explaining clearly what he was finding in my ca.

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Rockport

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Thomaston

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Springvale

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Brunswick

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Owls Head

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South Portland

Very Satisfied with the work performed by Evergreen. Professional employees, high quality work done in a timely manner. My sales rep was Justin, and he was phenomenal During the initial walk around my house, he gave me great ideas for how to improve the efficiency of our home. We will consult with Evergreen for our future home projects.

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Westbrook

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Damariscotta

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