Maine Home Performance Weatherization Program

Hi Everybody -

Heat is one of the largest expenses for homeowners, and the percentage of household income devoted to energy is steadily rising. Experts agree, the best way (a.k.a. the biggest bang for your buck) to lower your home heating costs is through home efficiency efforts, such as weatherization and winterization. Maine has recently created a program to help expand weatherization efforts and save Maine homeowners money over the long term.

The Maine Home Performance Weatherization Program is the first phase of our plan to weatherize 100 percent of residential homes in Maine by the year 2030. The program uses federal stimulus dollars to fund the first 4,000 Maine homes that qualify for energy efficiency improvement projects. Each home that qualifies may receive an incentive not to exceed $3,000. It is also important to note that there are also federal tax credits available.

Qualifying projects allowed under this program include:

• Insulation and air sealing;
• High efficiency heating and domestic hot water equipment;
• Installation of programmable thermostats and other controls;
• Solar water heating systems;
• Water saving devices (low-flow showerheads / faucet aerators); and
• Energy efficient replacement windows.

Eligibility for the program is based on the following:

• All income levels are eligible to participate (low income homeowners should apply to MaineHousing for low-income eligible services);
• The structure must be in Maine;
• The structure must be a one- to four-dwelling residence;
• The structure must be occupied and heated year round;
• An energy audit must be performed by a certified auditor/analyst;
• The improvement must achieve at least 25% savings from combined heating and hot water fuel usage;
• Pre-installation review and pre-approval are required; and
• Installations must completed by a Maine Home Performance participating contractor.

If you are interested in this program, you can apply at Efficiency Maine and also learn more about lowering your home energy costs.

As always, please feel free to e-mail me with any questions, comments or if you need my assistance. I always appreciate hearing from you.

Until next time,

~ Seth Goodall