FARMINGTON – A hands on program that began eight years ago has grown into a community event, bringing people from their homes together to address the issue of staying warm.
The Community Energy Challenge provides a low-cost window pane barrier that helps keep out the chill of a winter draft. Each pane registers a R value of 2, which when added up throughout an entire house or apartment can make a significant difference. A report on the panels came back as showing that one square foot saves an entire gallon of fuel during an average winter. The panes are built by a team of volunteers, and sometimes by the home owner. Each panel is measured to fit the windows tightly to keep the drafts out. A double layer of insulating plastic is applied and shrunk with hot air before being lined with foam for a snug fit.
The project is funded by the Susan and Fritz Onion Component Fund of the Maine Community Foundation, with the help of United Way of the Tri-Valley Area. For those who are already receiving heating assistance, six of the window panels are free.
Dan and Amy Palmer, who have volunteered with the program since the beginning, organize the panel building workshops that have happened every Saturday morning throughout Oct.
“It seemed like a good way to help other people. It just seemed to make sense,” Dan Palmer said.
The workshops take place in the basement of the Henderson Memorial Baptist Church every Saturday morning until Dec. 9 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information or to sign up for the workshop call 778-5048.
Homeowners are strongly encouraged to help build panel. Folks who do not receive heating assistance can get panels for $1.50 a liner foot, basically paying for the materials. They are also asked to come and help build. The wide range of volunteers help homeowners in every step of the building process. The Pot Luck lunch gives everyone an opportunity to share and build this wonderful “community”.
Making interior storm panels for your old house (with the original glazed wooden windows) can improve their efficiency to near-new levels. Search the internet for “interior storm panels”…you will find a guy in Portland who has a nice, easy method for making them. You use backer rod from the hardware store as a gasket, and presto, your windows are now draftless.
No need to rip out those nice old sashes, AND it keeps condensation off the glass! EPA now recognizes them and gives them a rating. Don’t throw out your old sashes! :)
I hope the folks who measure do it carefully. And that the windows FIT. I’ve seen some that were an absolute waste of materials. Such a shame for a good idea.
Volunteers like Amy and Dan Palmer are the heart of our communities. Thank you!!
Hurrah for Dan & Amy Palmer and all the Community Energy Challenge Volunteers for a very worthwhile
and greatly needed local project. Last Fall, being on a retired fixed income, I paid for 6 window panels for
my drafty old windows in my 100 year + old house. The new storm window panels fit perfectly and made a
big difference in cold weather comfort & fuel costs.
I volunteered a few times and enjoyed meeting others that were interested in helping others in our community
and surrounding area.
In response to Nancy Porter, we make every effort to ensure a proper fit of the panels when we install them with the homeowners, asking the homeowners to mark the panels so they know which panel belongs in each window. We work hard to make sure the panels fit and make adjustments to them if needed. If homeowners are having problems fitting them, they need to make sure they have them in the correct windows as each panel is measured to the 1/16 of an inch and is made for a specific window, even when the homeowner tells us “all of the windows are the same size”. We encourage homeowners to contact us if they have problems with the panels especially if panels have holes in the plastic . We will gladly help them fix the panels at the workshops. We do want homeowners, especially those receiving heating assistance, to be able to save on their heating costs and be warm. We welcome anyone wanting to see the process to join us at a workshop.