Energizing A Community

Two Months Remain for Unity Residents to Access Weatherization Money!

Amanda — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:07:59 +0000

So far there have been 26 homes, 1 business and 2 multiunit buildings weatherized in Unity. All of these homeowners and business owners have accessed funds from the Town of Unity’s Energy Efficiency Grant to pay for this weatherization, but time is running out. Grant funds need to be spent by March 30, 2012 in order for Unity residents to be reimbursed up to $500 or Unity businesses reimbursed up to $1000 for airsealing and insulation installed by an approved contractor.

Keith McPherson from Home Energy Answers does a walkthrough energy audit of multiunit in Unity.

A blower door is installed and operating during an energy audit to help determine air tightness of the building.

Homeowners that have participated in this program will see a reduction in their heating costs this winter. Air sealing reduces air infiltration into your building and in return reduces heating and/or cooling costs. By using a blower door a contractor is careful not to reduce air exchange in your home too much as that can result in potential moisture and other indoor air quality issues. For more information on air sealing, http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/insulation_airsealing/index.cfm/mytopic=11240

There is no better time than right now to tighten up your home.

For more information about the grant, please contact Amanda Jamison, Program Coordinator at 323-4898 or amandaj@uninets.net

Weatherization Work is Underway in Unity

Amanda — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:22:37 +0000

Unity businesses and homeowners are taking advantage of the Town of Unity’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant. Incentives are still available for both Unity businesses and Unity homeowners.

Unity businesses are eligible for up to $1000 to implement items outlined in their energy audits or to have insulation and air sealing done by an approved contractor.

Freedom Financial Door Replacement

Homeowners are utilizing grant funds as well in preparation of the heating season. There are quite a few homeowners that are using the $500 to implement additional recommendations from their energy audits and other homeowners that decided to access the $500 to insulate and air seal their home with an approved contractor. The Unity Energy Committee is excited to see Unity residents taking advantage of this grant.

For more information, please contact Amanda Jamison, amandaj@uninets.net, Program Coordinator at 323-4898.

The Heating Season is Upon Us – Unity Homeowners & Businesses eligible for the following incentives!

Amanda — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 15:38:58 +0000

Time is running out for Unity homeowners and businesses to access funds from the Town of Unity’s Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant. The Unity Energy Committee hopes to wrap this grant up in early 2012, so there is no better time to access these funds with the heating season upon us.

Unity homeowners are eligible for the following incentives:

$300 to help pay for an energy audit conducted by an Efficiency Maine Energy Advisor.

http://www.efficiencymaine.com/athome/hesp_program/find_an_energy_advisor

& up to $500 to implement recommendations from your energy audit.

You would rather not have an energy audit but know that your home would benefit from added insulation.

You are eligible for up to $500 of insulation and air sealing installed in your home.

All work must be done by an approved contractor.

Unity Businesses are eligible for the following incentives:

If you would like to have an energy audit done, Efficiency Maine has a program for businesses, so that you pay a nominal fee to have an energy audit done. If you invest a certain amount of money in energy conservation measures based on your energy audit, Efficiency Maine will rebate you back the cost of your audit. Please check out their business brochure below.

http://www.efficiencymaine.com/docs/at_work/EMBP16298SmBizBrchreRev11_29.pdf

In addition, the Town of Unity’s Energy Efficiency Grant will pay up to $1000 worth of energy conservation measures outlined in your audit.

You would rather not have an energy audit done but know the building that houses your business would benefit from added insulation.

You are eligible for up to $1000 of insulation and air sealing installed in your building.

All work must be done by an approved contractor.

Please contact Amanda Jamison, Program Coordinator amandaj@uninets.net to find out more information about this funding.

Student Passive House

Amanda — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 19:30:59 +0000

Unity College is pleased to announce the schedule of events for the Spring 2011 Lapping Lecture Series. The series will be held at the Unity College Centre for the Performing Arts in Unity. Each lecture is held from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., is free of charge and open to the general public. A reception will follow each presentation with light refreshments offered.

The Unity College Centre for the Performing Arts is located at 42 Depot Street (off Route 202) in Unity, Maine.

February 8: Student Passive House –The first student residence hall based on the Passive House concept is being designed by GO Logic of Belfast, Maine, and Ann Kearsley of Ann Kearsley Design of Portland, Maine, for Unity College with input from faculty, students and staff. Two GO Logic professionals, Matthew O’Malia, Architect, and Alan Gibson, Principal, will outline the project to date and discuss the Passive House concept, the highest energy performance standards for building. O’Malia is an architect and two-time New England American Institute of Architects Design Excellence Award winning designer at Elliott Elliott Norelius Architecture. Gibson is a carpenter, building designer, building energy analyst, and general contractor specializing in custom, energy efficient home construction.

Window Insert Workshop November 6, 2010

Jamie — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 16:34:00 +0000

On Saturday November 6, 16 window builders made 28 windows saving $734 of fuel annually and reducing emissions by 3,943 lbs/yr. Eight of the 16 window builders were first time window workshop attendees. Volunteers donated more than 35 hours of time toward making this event successful.

In addition to helping community members assemble their window inserts, Unity College students from The Environmental Citizen course were also on hand providing Do It Yourself home weatherization, showcasing the blower door diagnostic tool for home air leakage identification, and to share information about federal and state energy savings incentive programs.

An additional 6 citizens visited the workshop to check out what was going on. Attendees largely came from Unity but we also had folks from Troy (1), Freedom (2), Thorndike (2), Brooks (2) and Winthrop (1).

Inspired by Unity’s proactive energy savings activities, a group of Thorndike residents organized a window insert making workshop in their town on 11/20.

Unity College Involvement: Media Group

Jamie — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 16:25:15 +0000

The Media Group, consisting of four students, took on the task of documenting the progress of Energizing a Community projects. Students interviewed community members and members of the Unity Energy Committee. They also attended community events such as the Window Insert Workshop and Weatherization in order to video document their fellow classmates helping out at community members. Their ultimate goal is to produce a video documentary of the history, progress, and mission or the Energizing a Community group.

Unity College Involvement: Home Weatherization Group

Jamie — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 16:24:26 +0000

The Weatherization Group, consisting of twenty students, set a goal to help Unity residents weatherize their homes for the winter season. This group taught a first-year student class at Unity College how to create window inserts and other simple weatherization skills. These students then went out into the community to weatherize eight homes, so far. Hopefully, the students that have been trained in weatherization will continue to assist homeowners in years to come. The students also created a model of how to weatherize an attic hatch door in hopes to educate the community of the benefits of this improvement. A big project of this group was helping community members at the Window Insert Workshop to make window inserts.

Unity College Involvement: Research Group

Jamie — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 16:23:27 +0000

The Research group, consisting of four students, consolidated information about assistance programs available to home owners from a number of groups in the state of Maine. They compiled the information into an informational packet and a flow chart to help homeowners decide what track is best for them to follow. Some of the groups that they included are Efficiency Maine, Waldo CAP, and LiHEAP. The students were present at a number of community events, including the PACE presentation and Window Insert Workshop, to speak with community members about the opportunities available to them.

Unity College Involvement: Survey and Public Outreach Group

Jamie — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 16:22:35 +0000

“Hi! My name is [inset name here]. I’m from Unity College, calling on behalf of Unity Energy Committee.”

Perhaps you’ve heard this phrase after answering the phone or on your answering machine over the past couple of months. For this semester two students have been calling the households of Unity, Maine in hopes that the residents would return the residential energy survey that was sent out in August. The students called about 150 households, but unfortunately only about 50 surveys total have been turned in. The Unity Energy Committee hopes to increase this number to 100 surveys returned in order to calculate a good estimate of residential energy usage. Unfortunately, it seems that residents are not aware of all the programs and financial assistance available to them to save money and energy. The students had hoped to not only urge residents to return their surveys, but also to make them aware of the Unity Energy Committee. Hopefully their phone calls, possibly considered annoying, will eventually be considered beneficial to the community.

Home Energy Audit Program

Jamie — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 00:49:31 +0000

Interested in weatherizing your home and saving money?

Through the EECBG grant, there is $300 available for homeowners in Unity to help off-set the cost of an energy audit!

Having a home energy audit done on your home will make you eligible to access weatherization funds through Efficiency Maine and/or low-interest loans to make energy improvements to your home.

For information on how to receive this funding, click here.