An interview with Dana Fischer of Efficiency Maine
Home heating can be expensive, regardless of the fuel your home uses. And increasing the efficiency of your home is the most cost effective investment you can make to reduce your home’s heating costs. We caught up with Dana Fischer of Efficiency Maine—an independent trust dedicated to promoting the efficient and cost-effective use of energy in Maine—to get answers to some common questions.
Sunrise Guide: Efficiency Maine has a number of incentives for homeowners hoping to make their homes more efficient. What’s the best way for a homeowner to get started?
Dana Fischer: The best way to start is with an energy audit. An Efficiency Maine Residential Registered Vendor, using specialized equipment and a computer model, can identify the quantity and extent of heat loss from your home. With your input, they will identify those projects that make the most sense for your home and will save the most energy. You can find a Residential Registered Vendor near you by using the locator tool on our website.
SG: I’ve heard that air sealing is a good solution for most Maine homes. What does that involve?
DF: Many people think the biggest air leaks are around windows and doors. While these leaks can be significant, most air leaks are hidden from view, passing through fl oors and ceilings and chimneys, pipes, ductwork, etc. An energy assessment will identify these leaks. Contractors seal them with foam and caulk and other materials to reduce air movement between the interior and exterior of the house as well as between floors. Homeowners are eligible for a $400 rebate for air sealing projects from Efficiency Maine, or air sealing can be wrapped into a larger building envelope project eligible for $1,500 in rebates. You can find out more about these rebates at www.efficiencymaine.com or by calling 1-866-376-2463.
SG: Is there a concern that the house can get too tight?
DF: There’s an expression that goes “build tight and ventilate right.” All occupied buildings need ventilation. The best investment is to build or renovate as tight as possible, and then control ventilation with highly efficient exhaust fans or an energy recovery ventilator. Energy tight buildings should include ventilation. Be sure to ask your energy advisor or air sealing contractor about ventilation strategies.
SG: There’s a lot of discussion about ductless heat pumps as alternative heating options. What are they and how do they work?
DF: Heat pumps are now one of the fastest growing technologies for ultra-efficient heating in cold climates. Rather than generate heat from combustion or electric resistance, heat pumps extract heat from outside air or the ground and deliver it indoors as needed. In the summer, heat pumps can reverse and work as air conditioners, cooling indoors and rejecting heat outside. Ductless heat pumps have one outdoor unit connected to one or more indoor units with small copper lines. These are the most efficient air-source systems and are often installed in homes and offices to supplement existing systems, usually in the most frequently used rooms like family rooms or bedrooms. Typically, these systems can deliver more than three units of heat for every unit of electricity used.
Maine homeowners are saving a significant amount of money on heating costs by adding ductless heat pumps as supplemental units. If you’re interested in finding out more about your heating costs after adding a supplemental ductless heat pump, or other supplemental heating systems, check out the Compare Heating Options tool on our website (www.efficiencymaine.com/at-home/home-energy-savings-program/compare-heating-options/) which estimates a home’s heating costs before and after making a fuel or equipment switch.
SG: Homeowners are eligible for up to $1,500 in incentives for energy projects. But for many homeowners, the list of energy improvements is long! Are there financing options for homeowners hoping to do a number of energy projects at one time?
DF: Absolutely. Efficiency Maine has a number of low-interest home energy loans. Homeowners can borrow up to $25,000 at 4.99% APR to finance your home weatherization, heating equipment replacement, renewable energy installations and other energy improvements with great terms and no up-front loan costs. In many cases, energy savings offset the cost of monthly loan payments.
SG: Many of our readers have heard about PACE loans. Are homeowners only eligible for these loans if they live in a municipality that has passed a PACE ordinance?
DF: PACE loans are just one type of loan Efficiency Maine offers. Other loan products are available statewide regardless of whether your town is participating in the PACE loan program.
More information on these loans and underwriting criteria is available on the Efficiency Maine website or by calling 1-866-376-2463. All of the Registered Residential Vendor listed on the website can also help you access energy loan products.
