Debunking home energy myths
Whether you are a renter or a homeowner, you can upgrade the efficiency and comfort of your space without breaking the bank. Here are some tips to help you get started.
7 Reasons to install solar in 2019
You may have heard that the price of solar panels has dropped considerably in the past ten years. In fact, they’ve dropped by 75%. Whether you are motivated by saving money, freeing yourself from foreign energy sources or reducing your environmental impact, 2019 is a great year to consider installing solar. Here’s why: 1) Federal…
Riley Pratt has touched the future
AMONG EMERGING WOOD TECHNOLOGIES, few have as much buzz as mass timber, or cross laminated timber (CLT). The pre-fabricated, solid-wood panels are touted as a climate friendly, labor-saving alternative to concrete and steel in the construction of large buildings. Recently, two companies have announced plans to open separate CLT manufacturing plants in Maine. To date,…
Cape Elizabeth: Deep Energy Retrofit on Maiden Cove
This profile is part of a showcase of Maine retrofits. Learn more and see the rest of the profiles here. THE PROJECT: Transform a 1960s split-level into a comfortable home that meets the rigorous Passive House EnerPHit standards. Completed in 2015, the home won an AIA COTE Merit Award (for sustainable design excellence) the same…
Bath: 1822 Cape becomes a net-zero house
This profile is part of a showcase of Maine retrofits. Learn more and see the rest of the profiles here. ALICIA AND MICHAEL ROMAC purchased their 1822 cape in 2014 and spent 14 months renovating it before moving in during the fall of 2016. Their goals in the rehab were to create a warm and…
Unity: Bank re-purposed into a single-family home
This profile is part of a showcase of Maine retrofits. Learn more and see the rest of the profiles here. DESIGNED AND RENOVATED by Jim Bahoosh, a builder specializing in small houses, the Unity bank project is a story of taking care of what we have, revitalizing rural downtowns, re-imagining existing space and showing what…
Palermo: Energy retrofit on windy Turner Ridge home
This profile is part of a showcase of Maine retrofits. Learn more and see the rest of the profiles here. BUILT IN 2005 and situated in an open field on a windy ridge in Palermo, Denise and Barbara’s 2,400 sq ft home suffered air leakage that caused significant comfort issues, frozen pipes and near-constant boiler…
Northport: Deep energy retrofit
This profile is part of a showcase of Maine retrofits. Learn more and see the rest of the profiles here. RENOVATED TO Passive House EnerPHit standards, this 2,890 sq ft Northport home, owned by Chris Corson of Ecocor and his wife, Alexa, is a great example of what is possible in a deep energy retrofit.…
West Newfield: Poorly insulated trailer becomes a high performing tiny home
This profile is part of a showcase of Maine retrofits. Learn more and see the rest of the profiles here. THE PROJECT: renovate a 1970 12’x58’ mobile home with a 12’x24’ bump out into a state-of-the-art, superefficient tiny home where empty nesters David and Christine Gallant could downsize. Motivated by a desire to spend more…
Paul Sampson grows, mills & builds with Maine wood
By Joe Rankin A.E. Sampson & Son produces wood flooring in as many varieties as ice cream has flavors. Co-owner Paul Sampson runs down the list. “White ash, sugar maple, cherry, aspen, butternut, red maple, ‘roasted’ or heat-treated birch, ‘red’ birch, red oak. African mahogany, South American mahogany, teak, walnut, wenge, white birch, white pine,…