The Future of Low Carbon Home Comfort, Step 1: Energy Efficiency

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You may remember our recent post about climate change in 2018, where we discussed how the climate has become increasingly warm and unpredictable — here in Maine and beyond — and how human activities have contributed to that phenomenon.

About 87% of human-produced CO2 emissions come from burning fossil fuels like oil, coal, and natural gas. That means it’s more important than ever for homeowners here in Maine and elsewhere to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels — or in other words, strive for “low carbon home comfort.”

In this blog series titled “The Future of Low Carbon Home Comfort,” we discuss some of the most effective ways you can reduce your reliance on fossil fuels as a Maine homeowner. In today’s first blog post of the series, we’re discussing energy efficiency and how you can achieve it at home with smart upgrades like air sealing, insulation, and basement encapsulation. We will then dive into heat pumps in part two, “The Future of Low Carbon Home Comfort: Heat Pumps,” and solar in part three, “The Future of Low Carbon Home Comfort: Solar + Storage.”

Reducing Fossil Fuel Reliance Starts with Conserving Energy

“How do I reduce my reliance on fossil fuels?” you ask. Well, you probably rely more on fossil fuels than you think.

If you have a propane cooking stove or a heating system that runs on oil or natural gas, for example, you rely on fossil fuels directly in order to make these appliances run. And if you do not have solar panels on your roof, some of the electricity you use is likely produced by burning fossil fuels. So, whether you are turning on the lights, warming the house, washing clothes, or watching TV at home — if you’re using energy, you are probably relying on fossil fuels in some way.

The first step, then, to reducing your reliance on fossil fuels and achieving low carbon home comfort is to conserve energy.

Conserve More Energy with These Home Upgrades

Conserving energy starts with making the right energy efficiency upgrades to your home. The following measures not only improve home efficiency but also qualify for valuable incentives from Efficiency Maine!

Air Sealing

Air sealing your home eliminates any air leaks which allow conditioned indoor air to escape and unwanted outside air to enter. It also reduces stack effect (the natural tendency of heat to rise in the home), resulting in fewer indoor drafts. Air sealing is an excellent weatherization upgrade to start with because it provides energy saving benefits year-round. In the winter, it keeps valuable heated air in; in the summer, it keeps hot outside air out. Air sealing also helps prepare your home for insulation.

Insulation

While air sealing controls air flow into and out of the home, insulation controls heat flow. Insulation is usually most needed in the attic, exterior walls, and basement. Together, air sealing and insulation stabilize indoor temperatures. The result is a more comfortable house year-round and less need to run your heating and cooling systems — thus saving energy.

Air sealing and insulation also qualify for numerous rebates through the Efficiency Maine Home Energy Savings Program!

Basement Encapsulation

Related to insulation and air sealing is basement encapsulation. Basement encapsulation is the process of air sealing the basement with spray foam and installing a heavy duty vapor to keep excess moisture out. When done right, this upgrade keeps your home dry and makes it possible to insulate your basement without creating humidity-caused indoor air quality problems.

Start Conserving Energy by Scheduling a Home Energy Consult

If you are not sure exactly which upgrades your home in Mid Coast or Southern Maine needs for greater energy efficiency, a great place to start is with a home energy consult. During the consult, an Evergreen home performance specialist will help you understand where your home could be wasting energy. You’ll find out where air leaks and insulation gaps are, if you could benefit from installing a vapor barrier in the basement, and more.

Stay tuned for part two of this series about heat pumps!

Get started on your path to low carbon home comfort. Call 207-594-2244 or contact us to learn more or schedule an energy consult!

Original Bangor News Article by Associated Press, photo by Robert F. Bukaty

Reducing your carbon footprint starts with conserving energy.

Learn more about improving home energy efficiency 207-594-2244

Really great experience from start to finish with Evergreen. They helped us prioritize what needed to be completed first, and has made a significant difference in our hearing costs already. Plus they were really friendly and considerate to work with!

Amy W.

Kennebunk

Highly recommended. Our heating usage is now less than half what it was before we had our roof insulated. Evergreen was knowledgeable, friendly, and left no trace they were ever in our house. Not only is our heating bill much lower now, but our home is generally more comfortable year-round with less temperature fluctuations. Money well spent.

RC Lations

I was extremely pleased with the professionalism and quality of service that I received from the Evergreen team. I met Richard to discuss options for insulation. I knew immediately that I wanted to do business with them because he did not try to over-sell extra services that I did not need. Dave was the project manager. He was not only kind, but very respectful of my home. I would highly recommend this company.

Darlyann M

Bath

Several years ago Brian Robinson evaluated the crawl space at my summer home on Islesboro where I knew moisture was becoming a problem. I had done quite a bit of work in the space many years prior with mixed results. When Brian offered some suggestions, they were ideas that incorporated work previously done, and would be a relatively low cost effort to improve the situation. He offered this advice over several phone conversations of some length, informally, and at no charge.

Cliff R.

Islesboro

We couldn't be more pleased with the easy, professional, high-value service from Evergreen. Having purchased an older home that had been in our family for generations, we needed multiple upgrades, including insulation throughout. Evergreen insulated our attic with blown-in cellulose, built a new, super-insulated attic hatch, sealed off the old one (which was just a piece of plywood in a closet ceiling), and also talked us through our best options to upgrade our heating system given the plans we have to add onto the house.

Tom G.

South Thomaston

Evergreen came back this year to finish insulating our house. We have been remodeling and renovating an 1850s cape for several years. Their employees are very professional and pleasant to deal with. Over several years Brian Robinson has been able to schedule us in for several small areas that needed addressing and finally turning a room we used to close off in the winter into a comfortable usable space. We primarily heat with wood and since Evergreens great work our furnace has only come on ONCE this winter. Fantastic. Really satisfied customer in Thomaston.

Chris F.

Thomaston

Evergreen did an amazing job insulating our historic home. Their professional staff worked hard to ensure the tough areas in the attic were covered, and clearly communicated their progress. We are seeing the results with our discounted heating bills. Thank you, Evergreen!

Melissa Knoll

Portland

Greetings one and all! I am writing to express my gratitude to all involved in my insulation project.  From start to finish, I appreciate the universal theme which was maintained by each and every one of you, to ensure that my home was insulated and protected from freezing pipes as if it was your home. Andrea, thanks for helping me navigate my way to the project. Nate, thanks for the thorough initial assessment and the time you took to explain this project to me, step by step. Brian, thanks for setting up my project - so happy

Michele

I waited a year to write this review. Evergreen finished our job late last winter. Terrific results!!! we've gone from 12-day propane deliveries to 30+ day propane deliveries. The house is noticeably warmer. The Evergreen crew was/is professional, prompt, thorough, scientific, gracious and immaculate with respect to keeping our house clean. Money well spent.

John E.

Boothbay

The Evergreen team was amazing from initial assessment and planning to the crew that came to complete the work. Our basement encapsulation is the best money we've spent on our house by far. The work was thorough and high quality. And what a wonderful group of people to work with. I highly recommend Evergreen!

Martha Bracy

Working with Brian and with Nate and the rest of the crew was a pleasure. They made everything very easy and understandable. This was a major renovation and they were always at the ready with a lot of information. We had an extensive renovation on the basement which was a dirt basement and it came out beautifully. We can already tell from all of the insulation work what a difference it's made in sound and temperature. Brian worked with me on the rebates that are available when you do this kind of work. I would highly recommend this company to…

Valerie L.

Rockland

Evergreen completed the work at my home thoroughly and professionally. An inspector from Efficiency Maine came to inspect afterwards and described it as "state of the art" and "outstanding". The crew was very pleasant and considerate during the project. Their cleanup each day was perfect. Communications with the office were easy and reliable. I am very satisfied.

Catherine H.

South Portland

Evergreen removed and replaced the insulation in my attic. They did a great job!, Crew was excellent, and the whole thing went smoothly, and the attic was NOT easy to get into or work in, so kudos to some hard work done well!

Joel A.

Portland

I highly recommend Evergreen! 1st, I had a home efficiency inspection (that was free) & Bryan P. was great! He took the time needed, asked & listened to what I thought were priorities, explained clearly what he thought were priorities & why, then gave me numerous options. No pressure whatsoever. Then I had my attic sealed & insulated as the 1st step & Bryan came along on day 1 to introduce everyone & make sure we were all on the same page. Bruce's team (inc. Kelsey & Roland) did the work - they were exceptional!!

Melissa M.

Kennebunk

The folks at Evergreen did a great job fixing a rather major insulation problem in my house, which they helped identify with a great audit. When the work began, they were thorough, upbeat, and -- dare I say it -- efficient. I strongly recommend them.

Michael Williams

Portland Buy Local
Efficiency Maine
EPA Lead-Safe Certified
Building Performance Association
BPI Certified