If Your Home Was Too Cold During the Winter, It’ll Be Hot This Summer — Here’s What To Do

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Though summer in Maine is perhaps as perfect as the season can get anywhere in the world, we’d all be lying to ourselves if we said there’s never a single need for air conditioning. From Rockland to Portland, summer temperatures can climb into the 90s or even higher, and we’ve already had a few days this year that have made doing anything more than sitting on the beach an uncomfortable experience. Naturally, AC serves a place throughout the Maine summer, but it can also drive your energy bills through the roof if you’re not careful.

There are a number of things you can do to reduce your monthly energy bills without having to sacrifice summer comfort, but it all starts with an insulation upgrade, and the team at Evergreen Home Performance is here to help.

Insulation…in the Summertime?

One of the biggest misconceptions associated with insulation is that it only matters when the snow is falling. Of course, most of us would spend the Maine winter freezing if we didn’t have insulation in our homes, but that doesn’t mean the material is a one trick pony. In fact, insulation works in the exact same way during the summer months as it does during the winter, reducing the amount of heat transfer that occurs.

Think of insulation kind of in the same way you might a sweater (if it’s winter) or a koozie that fits around a cold can (if it’s summer). The bulk of the sweater helps to keep your body heat from escaping in the same way that the koozie keeps your beverage ice-cold throughout the day, and the same scenario applies to how insulation aids your HVAC system.

According to the EPA, homeowners can expect to save an average of 15% on heating and cooling costs by installing high-performance insulation and air sealing their homes. The more well-insulated a home, the more comfortable it will be no matter what the weather looks like outside.

Evergreen Home Performance: Your Coastal Maine Insulation Specialists

At Evergreen Home Performance, we’ve seen firsthand just how much new insulation can do in terms of making older homes dramatically more comfortable when the summer heat and humidity hits. We offer materials such as spray foam, cellulose, mineral wool and Thermax rigid foam insulation, all of which represent the best the market has to offer and have their own specific uses throughout the home.

It all starts with a home energy audit, where we determine exactly which parts of your home can benefit from adding new insulation. From there, we’ll work with you to come up with a plan that fits both your budget and your needs.

Boost summer comfort this year with an insulation upgrade! Contact us or call 207-594-2244 today to learn more or to schedule an appointment.

Contact us today to learn more!

207-594-2244

They were highly recommended. I found them to be very knowledgeable and so helpful, with practical ideas. Despite my not living within their service area, they were generous with their knowledge, describing the usual solutions to correct leaks in my basement, and what the result is likely to be by following path A, B or C, and why. I was discouraged. Talking with Evergreen helped me see that my basement problems are far from insurmountable and really, fairly common in 100-year old homes. There are proven solutions.

Rosalind J

Damariscotta

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

My husband and I bought a home on the water in Owls Head and decided to make the investment in Evergreen's recommendations for insulation. Brian Robinson spent 3 hours examining every nook and cranny before he made practical suggestions and explained them thoroughly to us.

Marie McNeely

Owls Head

Great job installing windows and insulation.

Bob S.

Rockland

Evergreen is a terrific company to deal with. Polite and efficient crews, meeting deadlines and major reduction in our heat bills. They corrected a lot of issues we suffered from doing work with a shoddy building contractor. We would recommend them to anyone.

Mary Carey

I used to spend winters in the bathtub because my house was so cold. This was my first winter roaming around my whole house comfortably. This even led me to decorate a little. My heating oil usage has been reduced by over a quarter: I rarely have to boost the thermostat because the temp stays at a constant. The Efficiency Maine rebates, together with the energy savings, make it affordable for me to pay for the loan I took out to finance the project. I do not worry about my pipes freezing.

Claire Helene Bevan

Camden

Our house still the most efficient home we’ve ever lived in. And we have you folks to thank for that! A special howdy to Brian Robinson please!

Bruce O’Donal and Eva Butler

Working with Evergreen was a dream! Professional, knowledgeable, and super clean work. Communication was fast and service impeccable. The bedroom floors in our 1960's split ranch will be warm with the new insulation between them and the garage. Bring on the snow! (not really, but sort of)

Jess Dee Proctor

We are so pleased with the work the team from Evergreen Home Performance did in our home. The project included encapsulation of our basement with a reinforced vapor barrier, installation of a sump pump, spray foam insulation on the walls and insulation of the heating duct work. Everyone at Evergreen was friendly and professional. The project was completed on time and in budget. Our home is much cozier and warmer since the project was completed.

Linda Metzger

Evergreen has insulated two homes that we've owned now and both times we experienced exceptional service and craftsmanship. Our rep, Justin, went above and beyond answering questions and the installation team was attentive to every detail, including pulling out old poorly installed insulation and redoing a bathroom fan that wasn't up to current code. They also left the place spotless every day! Our home is already so much warmer this fall and we are looking forward to using less oil this winter.

Eva G.

Falmouth

From beginning to end – that is from the moment Justin McEdward stepped into our home to assess our energy conservation needs until the crew left – the Evergreen Home Performance process went absolutely smoothly. Justin made a thorough inspection and took pictures with an infrared camera. His proposal described the scope of work in detail, and he explained what we could expect the proposed work to accomplish. Our proposal was forthcoming within a couple of days, and Justin was available to discuss it and answer questions.

Adrienne Harkavy

From start to finish, our experience was incredible. Justin was extremely helpful. The crew was fast, friendly, and efficient. And most importantly, our home is WAY warmer and our heating is less costly. I'd highly recommend evergreen to anyone looking to upgrade their home!

John S.

South Portland

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 had Evergreen redo the insulation in our roof. The team handling our project did a great job. They left the house spotless. We've already noticed the difference in how much better our house is retaining heat. I would definitely recommend and will use them for future projects.

Ffej C.

South Portland

I cannot say enough great things about working with Evergreen Home Performance. Everything including the initial consultation, the fabulous work crew, the office support and the final resolution was handled in a caring and professional manner. My only regret is that I did not know about them earlier. I enthusiastically recommend Evergreen to anyone with concerns about home energy use.

Darlene R

Bath

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