It’s Hot: Here in Maine & On the Planet

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It’s no secret that Maine is hotter than it used to be. Native Mainers from Kittery to Bar Harbor can tell you that they’ve seen summers grow warmer and longer than those of decades past, and winter weather is becoming increasingly unpredictable.

Of course, this phenomenon isn’t exclusive to Maine. We’ve seen signs of climate change across the globe, and now, those signs are clearer than ever. Here’s what you need to know about global climate change in 2018.

Climate Change in 2018: What You Need to Know

Science proves that human activities have been increasing greenhouse gas emissions since the Industrial Revolution. While human sources of carbon dioxide remain much smaller than natural sources, our contribution has thrown off the natural balance. This means carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere have reached dangerous levels not seen for tens of millions of years.

About 87% of human-produced CO2 emissions come from burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. Another 9% come from clearing forests, while industrial processes like cement manufacturing account for 4%.

The Role of Home Energy Use

As a homeowner, you have a larger role in this than you might think. Consider how much you rely on electricity every day — for lighting, cooking, washing clothes, watching TV, air conditioning, etc. Unless you have solar panels on your roof, fossil fuels are burned in order to produce your electricity.

Meanwhile, you may very well be relying on fossil fuels directly to power your home. Maybe you have an oil or propane based heating system, for example, or maybe you have a water heater that runs on natural gas. You may even have a natural gas stove.

Climate Change & Home Energy Use Influence Each Other

Here’s where things get even more complicated. Climate change is not just a result of high home energy use; it also causes higher home energy use. This is because homeowners are relying more and more on their cooling and heating systems to stay comfortable throughout the year.

In fact, according to the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), cooling and heating alone account for an estimated 48% of annual household energy use in the US.

What You Can Do

Some homeowners feel a moral obligation to conserve energy due to the effect that home energy use has on the environment. Others are attracted to sustainability because they want to protect the environment for future generations. Whatever your motivations are for conserving energy, there’s a lot you can do at home.

One of the best places to start is with energy saving upgrades like air sealing and insulation. These weatherization upgrades keep outside temperatures from influencing indoor comfort, so you can rely on your heating and cooling systems less to feel comfortable. Basement encapsulation and new windows and doors also offer impressive energy savings. An energy audit can help you determine which improvements your home needs.

Of course, you can also make the switch to clean solar energy. If you’re considering solar for your home, it’s important to first make your home as efficient as possible with the right energy efficiency upgrades.

Simple Financing for Your Energy Efficiency Upgrades

Have you been wanting to conserve more energy at home but worry about the cost of energy efficiency upgrades? Simple financing and rebates are available for your next project! Through Efficiency Maine, Maine homeowners can qualify for up to $3,500 or more in rebates when they complete home upgrades like air sealing and insulation. Plus, Efficiency Maine offers loans that allow you to spread the cost of your improvements over time. Conserving more energy at home has never been easier.

Want to learn more about how you can conserve more energy at home? Stay tuned for our upcoming blog series, The Future of Low Carbon Comfort: Home Performance, Heat Pumps & Solar + Storage!

Climate change is happening, but you can make your home more sustainable. Call 207-594-2244 or contact us to learn more about saving energy at home!

Conserve energy & protect the environment.

Schedule an energy audit to start saving energy 207-594-2244

The crew members from Evergreen Home Performance each made sure to greet us every day, while maintaining their distance in this time of the pandemic. Their work took a total of nine days, spread over three weeks. Even though they were working in multiple rooms of our house, as well as the basement and attic, they were unobtrusive and always cleaned up after themselves every day. The on-sight manager kept us informed of their daily schedule so we'd know which parts of the house they'd be working on.

Bob & Sue

Whitefield

The Evergreen crew from initial inception to installation were professional, on time, and left our place spotless. The end result was exceptional.

John Brown

Great company. Very professional and thorough. They take the time to explain everything and offer options to fit your budget. Wonderful experience from start to finish.

Bonnie Eustace

I was very impressed by the professionalism of this company and the workers. Brian R. was very prompt in replying to my questions; the crew was meticulous in all parts of the work and attentive to the safety aspects concerning Covid; and Brian was extremely thorough in the final inspection. My attic is now snug and warm and I've noticed that the second floor is warmer as well.

Julia S.

Rockland

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

The team members were very professional, worked very hard, paid very close attention to detail and cleaned up meticulously every day. I really appreciated the care they took knowing the smallest details were going to make a big difference to our heating bills. Thank you!

Pam B.

Brunswick

Evergreen came out 2 years ago to do an assessment and insulate our roof. This year we had them come back and do the basement as well. They are hands-down the best crew we've ever hired to work on our house. They are experts at what they do, and super meticulous in their work. After working in our house for a week with blown insulation, there was no trace they were ever here. We've seen a huge decrease in our energy bills while at the same time the house has become way more comfortable. Can't recommend them enough.

RC Lations II

Portland

I have always been impressed by the high level of service, quality of work, and excellent follow-through provided by Evergreen Home Performance in the three projects that they completed at the Wells Reserve at Laudholm over the past several years.

Paul D.

Wells

We needed basement encapsulation to stop moisture coming up into the house from our regularly flooding basement. We had mold growing on windowsills and furniture. All the staff were friendly, respectful of our home, and easy to work with. Humidity has gone from 70% down to 40% and mold has not grown back after two months. Very grateful.

Sarah C.

Belfast

Great team!

George S.

Bath

Evergreen is the "go-to" company for improving the efficiency of your home. There are others to choose from but none so effective, honest, and capable as Evergreen. They did a great quantity of dense packing cellulose to improve our home (both for energy efficiency and for sound insulation) and it was totally successful. They are on-time, helpful, and caring. They clean up to a level that can't be over emphasized. This was the second time we employed them and we'd use them again if the opportunity came. You'll not be sorry to select Evergreen.

Dirk F.

Belfast

Evergreen did a fantastic job replacing 28 windows in our house. They were friendly, courteous, and very detail oriented. Brian did a great job planning, estimating and executing the project. Our energy use has dropped significantly since the work was done.

Alex B.

Kittery

Evergreen has just completed Phase 2 of 2 at my home. They are professional, hard-working and courteous. They communicate well..no surprises. They've gone above and beyond to make my home comfortable and were very respectful of my home.I recommend them unequivocally!!!Many thanks to Brian, Brian, Rick, Eddie, Dawson and the rest of the Evergreen crew!!

David Henry Feldman

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.

Alan M.

Falmouth

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

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