Is Your Home Ready to Ride Out a Prolonged Power Outage?

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Here in Maine, the power can go out for long stretches of time due to the weather (“ice crisis” of ‘98, anyone?) This is especially true with the number of extreme weather events on the rise. Even this last fall, hundreds of thousands were without power just because of a wind storm. Many Mainers waited for over a week for their power to be restored.

Now, you may be wondering—in addition to considering a generator and stocking up on food, drinking water, and flashlights – are there improvements you can make to your home to make the next power outage more comfortable for your family?

Our answer: Absolutely!

Inclement Weather Prep Starts with Shell Improvements

You never know when the next wind storm, rain storm, or snow storm will hit; but you can be ready. Preparing for foul weather and power outages includes improving your home’s “building shell,” or building envelope. That means making improvements to the exterior of your home for better protection against the outside elements.

With the right shell improvements, your house will:

  • Be less susceptible to heat loss from high winds

  • Retain conditioned air far longer

  • Feel more comfortable overall

  • Reduce the load on your generator to maintain indoor temperatures

Plus, when you complete basement work like basement encapsulation and sump pump installation, your home will be more resilient against flooding.

Prepare Your Home with These Shell Improvements

“How do I improve my home’s shell?” you ask. As home comfort and efficiency experts serving Mid Coast Maine, we recommend three particular energy saving upgrades:

Insulation

Insulation is key year round for keeping unwanted heat out during the summer and valuable heat in during the winter. When your home is properly insulated in important areas like the exterior walls, attic, and basement, you can expect it to remain more comfortable—especially in the event of a power outage.

Most houses here in Maine are under-insulated, so chances are your house could use an insulation upgrade. An energy audit conducted by one of our experts can reveal where insulation is needed and which types of insulation would be best.

Air Sealing

Another important step in the insulation process is air sealing. Air sealing with spray foam eliminates air leaks throughout your home’s shell. This keeps those air leaks from decreasing the effectiveness of your insulation and letting the outside elements in.

Basement Encapsulation

Basement encapsulation is a key home performance measure that many Mainers neglect, but it is especially important if you want to protect your home from water issues and flooding. Basement encapsulation involves ensuring proper drainage; installing a sump pump to handle bulk water; and installing a heavy duty vapor barrier along the floor and walls of the basement. These steps keep moisture out and keep the outside from infiltrating your home through the basement.

Find Out How Your Maine Home Stacks Up with an Energy Audit

It isn’t always easy to tell how well sealed and insulated your home is, and sometimes it can be too late. You probably don’t want to find out when your lights flicker off and your furnace shuts off with an abrupt clunk. That’s why we suggest starting your storm preparations with an energy audit. During the audit, our home experts will complete a thorough inspection and perform diagnostic testing to pinpoint potential areas of improvement before the inclement weather causes another power outage!

Is your home ready for the next power outage? It can be with help from Evergreen Home Performance. Call 207-594-2244 or contact us to consult our home performance specialists!

Make sure your home will be comfortable during the next outage.

Schedule an energy audit to get started 207-594-2244

I had gotten estimates from several other companies, but Evergreen was in another league entirely with their professionalism. If you want the job done correctly, I couldn't recommend this company enough.

Rayna Mayo

Freeport

We absolutely loved our experience with Evergreen. The team was incredibly kind, professional and great to work with. We're very impressed with the quality of work of the Evergreen team and how easy they made everything! Our house had barely any insulation ahead of this project and the results are amazing. Insulating the attic, walls and basement with Evergreen allowed us to tear a 50-year-old furnace, ductwork and oil tank out of the basement and now heat the home with new heat pumps. Evergreen also added 100 sq ft of clean, new storage space to the attic!

Nick S.

South Portland

Our basement was the eyesore of the house. I wanted to make improvements, but first needed to make structural, insulating and moisture mitigation improvements. Evergreen was professional and competent in taking on a complex project of not only encapsulation and insulation of basement and crawlspace, but completed needed improvements to the structural integrity of the wood floor platform above a crawlspace and brought in a concrete contractor to pour where there was once a rotting, tiered wood platform - replacing that area with a more functional and tight tiered concrete area.

Duane B.

East Boothbay

Evergreen was so helpful in securing us Efficiency Maine funding for a big attic insulation project early this winter. They did all of the paperwork, and totally guided us through a vermiculite removal process that included a payment from a trust for the procedure. I could instantly feel the second floor being so much warmer than before. The boiler does not kick on nearly as frequently since they completed the job. It was worth every penny! Brian Robinson was so thorough throughout the whole process including a full walk through after the job had been completed.

Todd W.

Camden

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

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

John Brown

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

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

We just finished a large project of air sealing and reinsulating our 1890s basement and attic which 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.

Emily Gallant

The Evergreen Team did a fabulous job, well exceeding our expectations, In just over a week they transformed our very drafty, noisy 213 year old house into a snug, draft-free, quiet haven with warm floors! The team was prompt, did everything they said they'd do and more. We are thrilled!

Trudy M.

Bridgton

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.

Rebekah W.

Rockport

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

Evergreen did a fantastic job insulating our 1930's home. The onsite team was professional, clean, and really just a joy to interact with throughout the process. A blower test at the end showed a significant decrease in air leakage. I highly recommend Evergreen.

Kristen H.

South Portland

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

Nothing but good things to say. The guys that came and did the actual work were extremely nice and did a great job. The energy audit was thorough and I was presented with multiple improvement options, I was even given ideas for improvement that Evergreen didn't offer. I never felt like I was being "sold".

Ryan Adams

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