Storm Windows Clinic

F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods and Supplies, 56 Maine St., Brunswick, will host a clinic by Rendon Sabina of Downeast Interior Storms, titled "Make Your Own Interior Storm Windows," on Thursday, October 8, at 7:00 p.m. The clinic is free and open to the public.

Interior storm windows are transparent, insulating storm windows that can be installed on the inside of any window. They are simply made using wood, polyolefin film, and open cellulose foam. They are affordable, reusable, and will save energy costs year after year.

Interior storm windows are designed to keep heat in and stop drafts. Properly measured, made and installed, interior storm windows will significantly reduce heating bills, particularly in homes with older double-hung windows. In general, they are much less expensive than replacement windows. Unlike plastic films, interior storms are reusable year after year. They can be installed and removed without the use of tools or fasteners.

Attendees at Thursday's clinic will learn how to measure, make and install interior storm windows for their own homes or for friends and family. Storm windows may also be custom ordered through F.W. Horch for those not wishing to make their own.

Free refreshments and handouts will be provided.

Space is limited. To reserve a seat or for more information, please call 729-4050 or visit www.FWHorch.com.

Weatherizing - September's Sustainable Living Tip

"Weatherizing" your home by sealing air leaks and adding insulation to ceilings, walls and floors is likely the most effective way you can protect both your personal climate and the global climate.

Weatherization Facts

1. "Weatherizing" a home means making it more comfortable and energy efficient in both cold winter and hot summer weather.
2. Heating and cooling a house represents the largest single use of energy for most households.
3. Due to exhaust gases from its heating system, a typical house releases almost twice as much air pollution annually as a typical car.
   
4. The energy efficiency of a home with an oil-fired boiler is measured in degree days per gallon of heating oil (K-factor). The higher the K-factor, the more energy-efficient the home.
   
5. Older homes often have a K-factor below 5. Newer homes can achieve K-factors above 10. If you take automatic delivery of heating oil, your bill should list your K-factor. (This is how your oil company determines how often to come fill your tank.)
6. Most existing homes (about 65%) need more insulation.
7. The best place to add insulation is in your attic, where 40% of all air leaks occur.
8. Oak Ridge National Laboratory recommends insulating an existing home in Maine's climate to the following standards: attic R-49 (about 16 inches of cellulose), walls R-13, floors R-30, and basement and crawlspace walls R-25.
9. After insulating an attic, the next most important weatherization task is to use weather stripping, caulk or spray foam to seal air leaks around doors, windows, sills, electrical outlets, pipes and chimneys.
10. If your basement is unheated, either insulate the floor above it, or the walls of the basement. Sealing air leaks along the walls in an unheated basement is especially important to avoid freezing pipes.
    
11. All windows at night, and north-facing windows all the time, suffer a net loss of heat via radiation. To minimize heat loss, cover them with drapes or blinds whenever possible.
12. Because heating systems are most efficient when properly sized, and are properly sized according to the heat loss characteristics of the building they heat, it is essential to reduce your heat loss through insulating and air sealing before replacing your heating system.
13. If you heat with oil, gas or wood, ensure that your flue is providing a proper draw to exhaust combustion fumes. Fresh air must be available for combustion to occur safely; many heating systems draw their combustion air from the heated living space and exhaust it outdoors. (In other words, they push hot air out of your home and suck cold air into your home.)
    
14. Solar and electric space heaters, or direct-vent combustion heaters, do not draw air out of the conditioned space.
15. Very tightly air sealed homes should install heat recovery ventilators to provide fresh air without losing heat.
16. Tightly sealed homes should also pay particular attention to possible offgasing from paints and adhesives. In general, water based and "zero VOC" products are better for indoor air quality.
17. While it is possible to improve the energy performance of an existing home, it is extremely difficult to match the performance of a new home.
    
18. Properly designed super-insulated passive solar homes in Maine's climate do not need central heating systems because sunlight provides the baseline heat.
19. The U.S. Department of Energy's EnergySmart Home Scale (E-Scale) is a way to rate a home's energy performance. The typical new home is a 100 on the E-Scale, whereas the typical existing home is a 130 (i.e. uses 30% more energy). An Energy Star home is an 85 on the scale.
20. The DOE's Builders Challenge rewards builders who commit to building homes with an E-Scale score better than 70.
21. 41,198 new homes have been built in the DOE's Building America research project.
22. One goal of the ongoing research is to build homes that not only use less energy, but also produce their own energy by capturing solar, wind or water energy. On an annual basis if a home produces as much energy as it uses, it is called "net zero"; if it produces more than it uses it is "net positive".
23. One industry observer predicts that by 2050, 67% of new housing starts will have an E-Scale score of 0 or better (i.e. be net zero or net positive).

Insulate Your Home: Tips from a Pro, September's Sustainable Living Talk

Our next sustainable living talk is "Insulate Your Home: Tips from a Pro," featuring Gerard Gagnon, of Ace Insulation, on Thursday, September 11, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. The talk is free and open to the public.

According to the Harvard University School of Public Health, 65 percent of homes in the United States are under-insulated. Because a typical house releases almost twice as much air pollution annually as a typical car, adding insulating doesn't just reduce energy bills, it also improves air quality and combats global climate change. The most important area to insulate properly is the attic; the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that 40 percent of all air leaks in the average home are in the attic.

Gagnon's talk will explain the basics of insulation for people interested in reducing their home heating costs and environmental impact. Attendees will learn how much insulating costs, how much insulation is recommended in ceilings and walls, which types of insulation are available and where they are most appropriate, and how much energy can be saved. The talk will also cover common pitfalls, and recommend cost-effective strategies whether insulating a structure yourself or hiring a contractor.

Gerard Gagnon is the owner of Ace Insulation, specializing in cellulose insulation since 1995. Cellulose insulation, made from recycled paper combined with a borate fire retardant and insecticide, is suitable for both new construction and retro-fit applications. Properly installed, cellulose insulation can reduce air leakage 50% compared to an uninsulated home.

This talk is part of the F.W. Horch series on sustainable living. Each monthly talk is held on the second Thursday of the month at the F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods & Supplies store, 56 Maine Street, Brunswick. Space is limited, so those interested in attending are encouraged to call the store at 729-4050 to reserve a seat.