Green Up! South Berwick

Fuel Fundraiser

anne — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 22:24:39 +0000

So Berwick Keep Us Warm Fund

Wednesday October 29, 2008 5-7 Spring Hill Restaurant and Banquet center

a light supper of soup and bread for a donation to the So Berwick Keep Us Warm Fund

Cookies for dessert made by local friends

FMI: Pat 207-337-2792

Donations can also be made to

Town of So. Berwick

180 Main St

So Berwick, ME 03908

c/o fuel fund

raffles Sobo Book and Bean, The Little Hat Company, Vacuum Village, Salmon Falls Gardens, So Berwick Yoga and Childlight Yoga and they are available prior to the event at SoBo Book and Bean and the So Berwick Pharmacy. The So Berwick Seniors and the Red Hat Hotties of So Berwick will have a bake sale.

acoustic jazz music performed by Jeff Lind and Carl Pehrsson

soups made by

Nature’s Place Market

Pepperland Cafe

Fogarty’s Restaurant

The Catered Event

Redbarn at Outlook Farm

The Brixham General Store, York

Spring Hill Restaurant

Bread from

Muddy River

When Pigs Fly

Nora’s Clipping File: Energy Audits from the Portland Press Herald

anne — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:09:13 +0000

Higher energy prices make audit a smart choice

The price is $300 to $500, but suggestions can result in substantial savings.

By LLOYD FERRISS, For the Maine Sunday Telegram September 14, 2008

Lloyd Ferriss/for the Maine Sunday Telegram

Stephen Carr of Wydevue, an energy assessment company based in Poland, uses a variety of high-tech equipment to figure out where homeowners can save on energy costs.

Before the energy crisis – before oil shot up to $3.94 per gallon and a cord of seasoned firewood climbed to a record $300 – preparing for winter was simple. You had your boiler or furnace serviced, then went through a checklist of house-tightening improvements.

The fall checklist is still important, as is getting expert help to service heating equipment. But with record high energy costs threatening to sink households, some families are taking the next step. They’re calling in certified energy auditors who zero in with laser-like accuracy on heat loss and cold infiltration problems at your house.

Licensed auditors do more than define problems. They leave you with a list of energy-saving home and heating system improvements, beginning with the most important.

If you follow their checklist by making recommended upgrades, cutting the dollar drain for fuel and electricity can be dramatic.

“Our goal is to save the homeowner 30 percent on their energy bills,” says Stephen Carr, owner of Wydevue Energy Services in Poland.

“At that level,” he adds, “you start paying back our services – and quickly.”

The cost of an energy audit at Wydevue runs between $300 and $500 for a ranch-size house. The $500 energy assessment involves use of diagnostic tools including a negative pressure blower door, digital infrared photography and heating system evaluation, among other things.

Dan Simpson, spokesman for Mainehousing in Augusta, said that $330 to $500 price is in line with energy audits performed in Maine by more than a dozen licensed energy audit specialists.

Like Wydevue in Poland, services offered by most energy auditors are third party transactions, meaning that the auditors’ job is simply to come up with energy-saving recommendations. It’s the homeowner’s responsibility to find a contractor to do the upgrades, or make it a do-it-yourself project.

But some energy auditors are also contractors, creating what Simpson calls a potential conflict of interest. He advises homeowners to get more than one estimate for house and heating system upgrades suggested by an energy auditor.

Mainehousing trains and certifies energy auditors, and does random screening. Many in the profession also belong to professional organizations with ethic codes, including the national Residential Energy Services Network.

Carr, the energy auditor in Poland, points out that factors like insulation and windows are just a part of a home’s overall energy picture. Even in the case of two ranch houses identical in every respect, his recommendation to occupants for heating and hot water upgrades will differ a lot depending upon who lives in the houses.

“If it’s a family of two retired people at home all day, they’ll have a different usage than a mother and father and three kids away all day,” he says. “If the kids are home-schooled and the parents work at home, that’s another energy use.”

In his approach to a house, Carr first checks health and safety issues. If he finds asbestos insulation or evidence of lead paint, he strongly recommends professional removal before embarking on any job that could stir up toxic dust.

Next comes a complete diagnosis of what Carr calls the home’s “thermal envelope.” In this step he examines attic floor insulation, the attic hatch and knee wall, weather stripping, temperature difference between the first floor and basement and, among other things, whether there’s a basement moisture problem. His recommendation takes these factors and more into account.

An examination of a family’s boiler or furnace is next in line. According to Carr, people often tell him that they want to “get off oil.”

“But,” he says, “they should have started that plan five years ago.”

Carr’s advice for the 2008-09 heating season usually focuses on getting maximum efficiency out of the heating system already in place. He often recommends insulating furnace ductwork, or water pipes in the case of a boiler.

A fascinating thing about a Carr energy audit is the surprisingly detailed infrared digital photos he displays on his computer desktop. In brilliant color, they reveal heat leaks, including spaces in walls where blown-in insulation failed because of obstruction by electric wiring.

In Cumberland, architect Steve Ruszkai says he was very satisfied with his Wydevue energy audit. It revealed insulation problems in his upstairs and attic, and loss of heat between chimney fire brick and brick veneer.

“He (Carr) was pretty much dead on,” says Ruszkai, who completed every change recommended by the energy auditor.

If there’s a weakness in the modern energy audit system, it may be that some energy-saving recommendations tailor-made for modern houses may be harmful to homes 150 or 200 years old.

Les Fossel, a contractor and owner of Restoration Resources in Alna, specializes in repair and maintenance of old houses. He’s been in the business 33 years and, with a crew of 13 employees, does $1.6 million in renovations yearly.

According to Fossel, owners of old houses should be cautious of recommendations that involve use of cellulose insulation.

“It’s denser and there’s less air exchange,” he says. “If you don’t have a dry house, it retains more water.”

Fossel is also bullish about conserving energy though repairing – rather than replacing – storm windows put in place 100 or more years ago. Citing window tests by Maine Preservation, he says that vintage storm windows in good repair outperform replacement windows.

“Calling a (replacement) window maintenance free is another way of saying it can’t be repaired,” says Fossel. “The gaskets and seals wear out, just as they do in old automobiles. Welcome to life.”

Still, he thinks energy audits are a good idea, provided they’re not put forth by someone selling a product. And that auditors understand old houses.

“You should look at all sides of the issue,” he says.

Lloyd Ferriss is a writer and photographer who lives in Richmond.

Nora’s Clipping File: How to Cut Use of Energy from the Portland Press Herald

anne — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:05:17 +0000

How to cut use of energy on your own

September 14, 2008

enlarge Press Herald file/2007

Compact fluorescent light bulbs save signicant energy over incandescent bulbs, but they do cost more initially.

Pellet stoves are more efficient than conventional wood-burning stoves but some don’t work when the electricity goes out and they do require servicing and cleaning.

If you can’t afford an energy audit, a winter checklist of must-do energy conservation projects is still your best bet. The following 15 suggestions are good starters. Many cost little or nothing to implement.

• Install door sweeps or replace old ones. This must-do step cuts cold infiltration.

• On a cool windy day, check for cold leaks around windows and at floor level. Putty or window shades may fix this problem, which often accounts for a large percentage of home energy loss.

• Install one or more digital programmable thermostats.

• Turn down thermostats. By dropping just one degree you may save 25 to 30 gallons of oil in the course of a heating season.

• Check the bottom of your CMP bill for electric use patterns. Dehumidifiers, air conditioners and plasma screen TVs are common energy guzzlers. Are they necessary?

• Eliminate “ghost loads” by unplugging computers, television sets and other electronic devices when not in use. Any device that needs resetting after a power failure causes a ghost load.

• If possible, make minimum use of electric heat bars. They’re expensive to run.

• Insulate your home’s crawl space or attic with fiberglass or cellulose insulation. Follow manufacturer directions for safety and insulation depth.

• Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. Though more expensive, CFLs pay for themselves in a year or less.

• Have your furnace or boiler serviced and checked for efficiency as soon as possible.

• Put motion detecting lights in closets and other spaces where people forget to turn lights off.

• Turn down the hot water thermostat so you can touch hot water as it runs from the tap.

• Pellet stoves are more energy efficient than conventional wood-burning stoves. But some pellet stoves don’t work when the power’s out, and they require servicing like any appliance. Some experts advise holding off purchase until next year.

• Set your washing machine on the cold rinse cycle, as cold rinse does not effect cleaning.

• If you plan to build a new house, think small. Fewer rooms and open spaces are less expensive to heat.

Action Now! News from the AP:

anne — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:16:31 +0000

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WARMING_EMISSIONS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-09-25-14-05-44

Green Mondays at the Eliot Library

anne — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:43:25 +0000

Green Mondays: Practical information for sustainable local living!
Location: The William Fogg Library, Old Road & State Road in Eliot,
Maine 207-439-9437

Each program runs on a Monday night, 7-8:30pm. (No program Oct. 13th,
when the library is closed.) The public is welcome; there is no charge.
The series is organized, in collaboration with the library, by a
group of Eliot residents dedicated to sustainability education.

September 29: Alternative Energy Projects in Our Own Community -
samples of methods in current use locally with Shannon Darr
Shannon is a local resident living on Main Street in Eliot. She is a
nurse, mother and homeowner and a member of the Eliot Sustainability
Group. Inspired by viewing The E-Design Series (PBS) and by the
challenges of heating a home in New England, Shannon has been
locating and visiting homes and businesses that have incorporated
alternative energy methods. She will discuss how these projects are
working for the owners and ways to promote further use of alternatives.

October 6: Have You Been Greenwashed? How to know if a company’s
claims that they are “green” are true with Lise Laurin
Lise Laurin founded her company, Earthshift, in order to support
businesses that want to reduce the environmental impacts of their
products. As a consultant, she provides training and tools that
allow them to measure the costs of these impacts both to the
companies and to society. Prior to Earthshift, Lise worked with
electronics and semiconductor companies in manufacturing and
development. She began her professional life as a process engineer
at Intel. She holds a BS in Physics from Yale University.

October 20: Getting Green through Education of our Youth with Laurel
McEwen, BS, MBA of Stepping Up Green and Kristen Sweeney, BA, MBA,
BS, Science Teacher in Dover, NH
Learn from two Eliot citizens how they have partnered to create a
unique curriculum for 8-12th graders. By using primary data
collection in a home energy audi and a carbon footprinting model, the
students use technology to analyze data, work with climate change
models to predict future global outcomes, and design a green home.

TOMORROW: ENERGY CONSERVATION for the HOME

anne — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:48:23 +0000

ENERGY CONSERVATION for the HOME

WEATHERIZATION SESSION at YORK COMMUNITY COLLEGE

anne — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:42:26 +0000

ANNOUNCEMENT

On Wednesday evening, October 1, 2008 at 6:30 pm., Maine’s Community Colleges and the Governor’s Office of Energy Independence and Security are holding a statewide information session on weatherization in order to assist Maine families in preparing their homes for the winter months ahead. Ensuring that all Maine people are cared for and warm this winter is of paramount importance, and working together we can all help make a difference.

To learn more about what you can do to help winterize your home, we invite you to attend this information session, hosted by Governor John Baldacci, at one of the following locations.

Space is limited so register early online at winter.mccs.me.edu or by calling 629-4000

Central Maine Community College – Auburn

1250 Turner Street

Kirk Hall – Lecture Room 103

Eastern Maine Community College – Bangor

354 Hogan Road

Rangeley Hall – Room 501A

Kennebec Valley Community College – Fairfield

92 Western Avenue

Carter Hall – Lecture Hall

Northern Maine Community College – Presque Isle

33 Edgemont Drive

Christie Building – Lecture Hall

Southern Maine Community College – South Portland

2 Fort Road

Hildreth Building – Room 101

Washington County Community College – Calais

1 College Drive

Administration Building – Assembly Room

York County Community College – Wells

112 College Drive

Administration Building – Function Room

Maine Community College System – Augusta

323 State Street

Board Room

Bald Guy on Climate Change: South Berwick’s Bill Rogers

anne — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:12:08 +0000

Check it out! Watch the series!

Nora’s Clipping File

anne — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:49:47 +0000

Portland Press Herald (Maine)

July 28, 2008 Monday
Final Edition
Tackling risks of thermal systems;
The state looks to boost oversight of heat-from-below systems, which can fail and pollute well water.

BYLINE: KELLEY BOUCHARD Staff Writer –

SECTION: FRONT; Pg. A1

LENGTH: 1136 words

Hundreds of geothermal systems are believed scattered across Maine, heating and cooling homes, businesses and public buildings via wells that plunge more than 300 feet below ground.

Only six of the alternative energy systems are registered with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection as required under federal and state law, according to state officials.

Now the state is trying to assess the risk posed by so many systems and impose some oversight without discouraging investment in the technology at a time when soaring heating oil costs are prompting more people to look for new ways to heat homes, schools and commercial buildings.

No one knows for sure how many geothermal systems are in Maine, although state officials estimate roughly 500 exist. But an untold number of them have failed, causing or risking groundwater and well contamination ranging from motor oil and refrigeration chemicals to saltwater and arsenic, the officials said.

And still, the state has no laws or regulations that require geothermal systems to be licensed or reviewed before they are installed, or to be monitored once they are. The state gets involved only when systems involve water discharge, and that’s what the state environmental agency focuses on.

Engineers and others who know these systems say the lack of oversight is a disaster waiting to happen. Forty-three percent of Maine’s 1.3 million residents rely on private wells for domestic water, and 20 percent of water supplied to public systems comes from groundwater sources, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

As fuel prices rise and interest in alternative energy sources explodes, ”We need to promote this technology. It just needs to be done right,” said Erich Kluck, an environmental specialist who runs the state’s Underground Injection Control Program. ”If we don’t have clean drinking water, the price of oil isn’t going to matter.”

Kluck is among 20 state environmental officials and others involved in geothermal technology and groundwater protection who met last week to start revamping the state’s approach to geothermal systems. Participants included representatives of the seven-member Maine Well Drillers Commission, a governor-appointed panel that licenses well drillers and establishes performance standards.

Divided into two groups, the participants are expected to meet several times in the coming weeks and reconvene as a whole in September to share their findings, said Malcolm Burson, Maine DEP’s associate policy director.

Geothermal systems take advantage of near-constant, 50-degree temperatures 300 feet below the Earth’s surface to heat or cool buildings. Water or antifreeze solution in underground pipes takes in or gives off heat that is concentrated and circulated by pumps. Depending on the design and technology used, some are closed-looped systems and some tap directly into groundwater.

Problems can arise when systems are too close together, which diminishes heating and cooling capacity; when pumps fail, which can leak oil, coolant or other chemicals into the ground; when groundwater has high levels of arsenic, radon or other naturally occurring chemicals; or when underground systems tap into seawater, contaminating nearby drinking wells.

Burson said the DEP wants to determine how existing state laws, agency regulations and well-drilling rules should be changed, what public education programs are needed and whether municipal ordinances may be necessary to institute local oversight.

”DEP would not become the regulator of geothermal systems,” Burson said.

With such a short list of state-registered systems, Kluck said he’s not sure where he’d start if DEP took charge of geothermal regulation.

The six registered operators include Bowdoin College in Brunswick, the York County Courthouse in Alfred, Westbrook Middle School and a private home in Raymond, Kluck said.

The list of unregistered geothermal systems is long and includes numerous public and well-known buildings, such as the Abromson Center at the University of Southern Maine and the U.S. Customs House in Portland, Gorham Middle School, Camden Hills Regional High School and the Colby College Alumni Center.

While well-drilling companies must register drinking-water wells with the Maine Geological Survey, current law requires property owners to register geothermal systems with DEP.

Kluck has been prodding owners of geothermal systems he knows about to register, and several are in the process of submitting forms, he said. Having a complete list would help identify potential areas of system failures and groundwater contamination.

Kluck said he knows of several systems that have failed, but only one that DEP was involved in cleaning up. Four years ago, a new owner of a private home in South Bristol removed a 20-year-old geothermal system that had leaked freon, a common refrigeration chemical, into the owner’s well and a neighbor’s well. The well is no longer considered contaminated, Burson said.

DEP is responding, in part, to growing concern among municipalities, especially along the coast, where more affluent homeowners can afford the $16,000 to $40,000 cost to install a geothermal system.

That’s why the agency tapped Lissa Robinson, a civil engineer and hydrogeologist in Falmouth who consults for municipalities, to help review geothermal oversight in Maine.

”Towns are interested in balancing groundwater protection and human land use,” Robinson said. ”These towns are wondering what role they need to play in maintaining that balance when it comes to geothermal technology.”

Douglas Martin, president of W.H. Demmons Inc., a Portland firm that has designed and installed about 25 geothermal systems since 1992, said he welcomes DEP’s interest in improving oversight.

Some of the firm’s early projects had problems, Martin said. ”With every job, we’ve gotten better at what we’re doing,” he said.

Last year, Demmons installed two geothermal systems, including one at the York County Courthouse, that saved a combined 54,000 gallons in heating oil in a 12-month period. The courthouse system, in particular, saved taxpayers nearly $70,000 in fuel costs, according to county officials.

Martin said the state should require that plans for geothermal systems be reviewed by a registered engineer and a hydrogeologist, as his firm now does. He also has started registering geothermal systems designed and installed by his firm rather than waiting for property owners to do it.

Martin said geothermal technology is a viable way to reduce dependence on oil and other nonrenewable energy sources.

”But it also has the potential to do great damage to public water supplies,” he said. ”I have a vested interest in wanting to make sure people do this properly.”

Staff Writer Kelley Bouchard can be contacted at 791-6328 or at:

kbouchard@pressherald.com

Nora’s Clipping File

anne — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:40:57 +0000

Portland Press Herald (Maine)

July 31, 2008 Thursday
YORK Edition
Ogunquit keen on going green;
A self-certification program promotes environmentally friendly actions ranging from recycling to driving less and slower.

BYLINE: ANNE GLEASON Staff Writer

SECTION: YOUR NEIGHBORS; Pg. E1

LENGTH: 575 words

Ogunquit’s conservation commission is hoping to see green ribbons popping up around town over the next several months.

In August the commission will launch a ”Greening of Ogunquit” program geared toward residents. It’s a self-certification program in which residents pledge to undertake eight out of 10 possible environmentally friendly actions.

The residential program is part of a three-pronged effort by the town to be recognized as an all-green town. Last winter, the town launched a program targeting the business community, and in mid-July, the commission made a presentation to selectmen to begin its municipal program.

If the town generates enough buzz with all three of its programs, commission members would like to present their efforts to the state in hopes of being recognized as Maine’s first all-green town, said Mike Horn, chairman of the Ogunquit Conservation Commission.

The green efforts, Horn said, will help to preserve Ogunquit’s natural assets, which are key to the town’s tourism industry. As a heavy tourism town, Ogunquit could also benefit from building a reputation as being green, a concept that is becoming increasingly attractive to environmentally minded travelers, Horn said.

The residential program encourages residents to make a pledge in a number of areas: recycling, adjusting thermostats, switching to energy-efficient light bulbs, unplugging appliances and turning off lights, giving up plastic bags, conserving water, buying local and not buying bottled water, reducing use of chemical products, practicing green yardscaping, and driving less and slower.

Green yardscaping includes using organic lawn products and reducing the amount of time spent watering one’s lawn, as examples.

Residents who send in a pledge card will be invited to tie green ribbons on a tree outside their homes, which indicates a green home.

”We’re hoping the neighbors will start asking ‘Oh, what’s that green ribbon about?’æ” said Madeline Mooney Brown, coordinator of the residential program. ”It will be a very visible way to show the Greening of Ogunquit.”

In August, the conservation commission will send out letters explaining the program, pledge cards and ribbons to 1,400 postal addresses in Ogunquit.

Last winter, the town officially launched its ”Greening of Ogunquit” business program, which encourages all hotels, motels and restaurants in town to sign on to the state’s Environmental Leader certification program. The Environmental Leader program is a point-based program through the state Department of Environmental Protection. Businesses earn enough points to be certified as ”green” by the state, which is achieved through actions such as conserving water, becoming more energy efficient and recycling.

As of July, five hotels in town had been certified as Environmental Leaders. Three other hotels and one restaurant were working on certification.

The municipal program comes through Ogunquit’s participation in the Governor’s Carbon Challenge, a voluntary carbon emission reduction state program aimed at municipalities, nonprofits and other organizations.

The key components of the municipal program are: reduction of energy use in town buildings and vehicles, reduction of chemical use in town operations, increased recycling, and education of town employees, volunteers, residents and visitors about the commission’s green efforts.

Staff Writer Anne Gleason can be contacted at 282-8229 or at:

agleason@pressherald.com