Sustainable Remodeling: Enhancing Comfort & Efficiency

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Sustainable remodeling is the process of renovating a home in a way that minimizes its environmental impact, which can be done by using sustainable materials and finding ways to conserve energy.

At Evergreen Home Performance, we believe that homes should be beautiful, comfortable, functional, and sustainable. With our expertise, we can help you improve your home’s energy efficiency, reduce your environmental impact, and save on your energy bills. We can even help you plan your home upgrades to get the most out of federal and local incentives and make your dream, green home in MidCoast Maine more affordable!

Start With an Energy Audit

When you’re remodeling your home for energy efficiency, it’s important to know where it needs improvement before you get started. A free energy assessment  from Evergreen Home Performance takes the guesswork out of home upgrades by giving you a big-picture understanding of your home’s performance.

We use specialized tools like infrared imaging and blower door testing to evaluate your home’s insulation and discover any significant air leaks that contribute to energy loss and inconsistent temperatures. When the analysis is complete, our team will give you a detailed proposal for our recommended services so you can plan your path forward.

How to Remodel for Energy Efficiency

There are several home upgrades we offer at Evergreen Home Performance that can improve the energy efficiency and comfort of your home. Here are just a few of the services we provide to help with your sustainable remodel:

Insulation Removal

Typical fiberglass insulation degrades over time and can be contaminated by pollutants such as mold, making it less effective and even harmful to your indoor air quality. It’s important to remove old insulation before installing new insulation—especially if it is damaged—because it can affect the performance of your upgrade.

Not sure if you need insulation removal in your home? Here are some signs to look out for:

  • Your insulation has been wet
  • There was a fire in your home
  • You have had a pest infestation
  • Your insulation is old and contains contaminants, like asbestos

Attic Insulation Upgrades

Your attic significantly contributes to your comfort and efficiency. Without proper attic insulation your home is susceptible to ice dams in the winter, high energy bills, and several other issues. Adding insulation to your attic is one of the most cost-effective ways to increase your home’s energy efficiency because it works to stabilize the temperatures within your home. Insulation creates a barrier between your living space and the outdoors and even lessens the wear and tear on your HVAC equipment, making your heating and cooling more efficient as well.

Basement Insulation, Encapsulation, & Leakage

Because your basement is the foundation of your home, it’s exposed to moisture, potential air quality issues, and even structural damage. Cracks and holes in your foundation can lead to pests and harmful contaminants like mold or radon finding their way into your living spaces. As warm air rises up and out of your home it gets replaced with air from its lower levels, so the contaminants found in your basement air will eventually get distributed throughout your home.

Adding basement insulation along the walls can help keep the area protected from the elements. Some basements also struggle with high humidity and moisture levels and insulation alone won’t solve the issue. In these cases, we recommend basement encapsulation to help control moisture and prevent unwanted air leakage. By installing drainage and a vapor barrier in addition to spray foam insulation, your basement will be airtight, reinforced, and safe from moisture, radon, and other pollutants.

Whole Home Road Map from Evergreen Home Performance

Sometimes remodeling your home is overwhelming and expensive—that’s why we offer planning services to help you with a Whole Home Road Map so you can phase in energy efficiency upgrades at your own pace and budget. Using a phased approach not only allows you to break down each upgrade into manageable sections, but it also helps you maximize your savings with incentives!

At Evergreen Home Performance, we stay up to date with what rebates and incentives are available in MidCoast Maine, and part of our Whole Home Road Map process includes planning and phasing in upgrades so you can get the most out of Efficiency Maine rebates.

Are you ready to get started with your sustainable remodel?

Schedule your energy audit today. Call 207-594-2244 or contact us online.

Want your dream green home?

Call Evergreen Home Performance! 207-594-2244

We had a fantastic experience working with Evergreen to insulate our roof this winter. Everyone was extremely friendly throughout the process - the crew at our home worked hard, were approachable with questions, and the team leader even showed me around the project to point out specific areas they were working to improve.

Joel Wentz

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 team!

George S.

Bath

We are thrilled with the job Evergreen did to transform our 213 year old home into a warm, draft-free, cozy space. The entire team led by Bruce was prompt, courteous, knowledgeable, and hard working. If Evergreen could transform our home in this way, we are sure they would make a comparable difference in YOUR home!

Jonathan M.

Bridgton

In the final stages of selling our home, and with a closing date set, an inspection came across an unanticipated issue in our attic. We quickly called in contractors, but nobody was able to identify the source of the problem. Then we thought of Evergreen. Brian Robinson was on site the next morning and immediately identified the source (a faulty roofing job completed three years earlier which had effectively sealed up portions of the ridge vent and restricted air flow - not easily visible with a quick inspection).

Robin McIntosh

Camden

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

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

John Brown

A thorough inspection of our (older) house and its energy needs. Competent and personable work crew.

Jacob Watson

Evergreen did everything they said they would and more. I actually don't mind going into the basement now since they sealed it. The air quality in the house is noticeably better and it's warmer in the winter. We can even store clothing down there where before, whatever was in there would mildew. Even the spider population declined! I used to vacuum so many of them from the corners of the ceilings in the house. Not any more!

Loriel Van Dusen

Last week, my oil company asked if we were using some other kind of fuel because our usage was so much less than they had expected We are very happy with the results; the house is much more comfortable

Steve T.

St. George

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

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

We just finished a large project air sealing and reinsulating our 1890s basement and attic. It had been completely renovated 8 years ago, but still felt cold, and lacked proper energy assessment and corrections. We met with Justin in December and were very impressed with his knowledge, professionalism and communication skills and knew Evergreen was who we wanted to work with. Dave was our on hands project manager and was excellent. The office staff has been quick to respond and helpful as well when needed.

E Gallant

Kennebunk

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

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

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