Staff Writer

Dick and Pat Smith’s Cape Porpoise home was built only eight years ago, but they recently learned a new home doesn’t necessarily mean a “tight” home after a thorough energy audit.

“You want air change in a home to occur every three hours. A house has to breathe,” Steve Carr said as he began the audit to determine the amount of heat loss in the home. 

Using a thermal infrared scanner, Carr said the black and white images picked up by the scanner helps determine where air is escaping the home and what steps to take to reduce the amount of heat loss. 

Carr, president of Wydevue Residential Energy Services, went through each room taking infrared pictures of trouble spots where he noticed excessive black indicating a lack of insulation.

Then, using a blower door set up in the kitchen, Carr created a negative wind pressure simulating 20 mile per hour winds hitting all four sides of the home and retraced his steps to further assess how much air was escaping the home through windows, doors or poorly insulated ceilings and walls. 

“The thermal infrared picks up every single tiny thing, then you have to determine if it is an anomaly or not,” Carr said, detecting heat loss around recess lighting which he said is normal.

The Smiths won an energy audit as a prize during the “Party for the Planet” in January. Sarah Lachance of Cape Porpoise founded Campaign Earth, an online forum raising awareness about global warming and environmental concerns, and organized the community party to educate her neighbors about home energy efficiency.

Energy audits cost $300 to $500 depending on the company and service, and Lachance said including the initial costs of the audit and implementing changes to improve energy efficiency can save homeowners up to 25 percent on their annual energy expenditures.

“People tend to spend $2,000 or more on energy. Every dollar wasted on energy is one less into the world of consumerism,” Lachance said of the need to stimulate the country’s economy.

Information Carr gathered is being compiled in a report with thermal and digital images of problem areas as well as itemized steps toward improving energy efficiency in the house. Dick Smith said he is still waiting for the finalized report, but after following Carr through the audit process, he said he has already taken steps to improve his home. 

Before the energy audit, Dick Smith said he had an idea of some improvements he could make to improve energy efficiency, but the thermal imaging helped to identify specific areas. Dick Smith said he has spent less than $100 to add a glass plate over the fireplace to block drafts when not in use and insulation around attic access doors. He said the report will suggest further steps toward improving energy efficiency and is hoping the upfront cost for the improvements will help save money on heating bills down the road. 

In an effort to help people conduct energy audits and make improvements to their homes, Lachance said funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be made available through the Maine State Housing Authority to assist families in retrofitting their homes.

Maine will receive more than $69 million in federal funding to help weatherize homes and make other energy savings improvements, Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe and Democrat Rep. Chellie Pingree announced separately March 12.

“We have some of the oldest housing stock in the country,” Pingree said.  “This money is going to make it possible for families to add insulation, plug leaks and install more efficient heating systems.  And this weatherization work will create jobs right here in Maine.  These investments will save people money on their utility bills and put Mainers back to work.”

Tax credits are available for homeowners of any income making energy efficient improvements to their home, including replacing windows and doors, adding insulation, replacing the furnace or water heater with Energy Star products, Lachance said.

Homeowners can receive credits for 30 percent of their improvement costs up to $1,500. 

Between private loans and federal stimulus money, Lachance said the state government hopes to conduct more weatherization projects to increase the efficiency of all Maine homes. 

“Campaign Earth hopes to be one of those organizations that help Maine achieve that goal,” Lachance said. 

For more information on receiving tax credits for home energy improvements, visit the Maine State Housing Authority’s Web site at www.mainehousing.org.