At a yearly cost of $4,213 per person (i.e., averaging $16,852 per year for a family of four) Mainers spend more of their yearly income on energy than residents of any other New England state. This level of annual energy costs places Maine 11th among the 50 States in the U.S. for the amount residents spend on energy. Home energy related expenses drive up the cost of home ownership and are a financial burden to many.

In Maine's coastal communities a high percentage of homes were built before any form of functional insulation or air sealing was common. Even newer homes may lack insulation in some key areas or have a lot of air leaks around wiring, plumbing, doors, and windows. These factors make many homes expensive to heat or drafty when heated or both. Homeowners also struggle with closely related challenges like ice dams on roofs and damp basements.  

Home weatherization and heating upgrades (insulation, cold climate heat pumps, etc.) can reduce yearly energy bills by 35% to 50% or more. To provide home owners with an opportunity to familiarize themselves with proven options and provide residents with the background to make informed choices, St Andrews Parish is joining with other area organizations to sponsor a series of forums on home energy saving options.

Information from this survey will be used to better understand the options homeowners are interested in, the options residents have already completed, as well as the barriers local folks have encountered when exploring home energy saving options. Survey information will also be used to plan events, education forums, and community outreach in a manner that is most likely to address residents challenges and areas of interest. Information provided on the survey will be used only for planning purposes and not be shared unless permission is requested and given.

Would you be willing to share how much energy your home currently uses annually? If possible, please fill in the following for the year 7/1/2018 through 6/30/2019. The information for electricity should be on your CMP bill or on CMP's web site. If you get home delivery, information on propane, heating oil, kerosene, and wood pellets may be on your bill and should be available with a phone call or email to your supplier.

A review of municipal records up the coast in Rockland found that 70% of the homes there appear to have been constructed before effective insulation and air sealing were common.

May volunteers working to develop this series contact you for more information on your home or more information about projects you have completed or to clarify the information provided in this survey? If yes please let us know how best to reach you. Please note providing this information is optional. Completing the survey without providing your contact info is still helpful to the planning process.

Providing us with information about how you heard about this Home Weatherization and Energy Savings series helps improve community outreach and helps ensure that our outreach is getting to the people who are interested and who would benefit.

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey and sharing information about your home and energy usage. We hope to see you at at the November 16th Home Weatherization Workshop ( see fb.me/weatherizelincolncounty for more info on the Saturday event). If you attend we hope you learn about one or more energy saving projects that you are able to get done!

Why is St Andrews working on this? The first section of this survey notes the costs of energy to residents and the benefits of energy efficiency. But, what makes this a priority for St. Andrews and the faith community? Energy efficiency is a priority in part because it is a way to "care for our neighbors" and help ensure all are safe, comfortable, and warm in their homes (and to strive toward accomplishing that at an affordable annual cost).

There are other reasons beyond concern for our neighbors in the winter to focus on energy efficiency. Oyster are the signature commercial fishery in the Damariscotta River. The Gulf of Maine appears to be warming faster than virtually all other coastal waters around the world. Warming - - and more acidic - -  marine waters puts the future of the local oyster fishery at ever greater risk of failure due to disease and weaker oyster shells.

Also, businesses and buildings in the heart of Damariscotta village are particularly vulnerable to flooding, damage, and loss due to even modest levels of sea level rise. Every gallon of heating oil or propane burned contributes to some degree to warming coastal waters and sea level rise.

While the problems related to carbon emissions from fuels like heating oil require world wide solutions, some of the most effective steps are, literally, in our homes. If we all tend to our own domestic heating and hot water needs, we can make important headway. So St. Andrew’s MENJ team (Maine Episcopal Network for Justice) wants to put the spotlight on what we each can do in our communities and in our homes to begin making an immediate local difference.  

 

If you have questions about how to answer any part of this survey (i.e., on determining what type of heating system you have, or on getting energy usage data for your home, or on the energy upgrade options, etc.) please email Larry Pritchett (larry.r.pritchett@outlook.com) who is assisting St. Andrews on this project.

If you have general questions about this initiative, suggestions on how to improve the series, would like to volunteer, or your organization would like to join in supporting this initiative, please email Steve Ward (stevew@tidewater.net).