February 6, 2016

Australia should follow Obama’s solar SunShot

The US government has announced a US$36 million program to develop technologies that turn solar PV and storage batteries into a new kind of decentralised, virtual power source which some are calling ‘the internet of energy’. This is just the kind of technological shift that excites Australia’s new Prime Minister Malcolm and terrified his predecessor, […]

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November 4, 2015

Energy Efficient Housing for Maine Senior Citizens

Yesterday, Maine citizens voted to pass Question Two: The Senior Affordable Housing Bond: The Senior Affordable Housing Bond authorizes the sale of $15 million in general obligation bonds, to be used in combination with more than $22 million in leveraged funds, for the construction of approximately 225 affordable, highly energy efficient homes for Maine’s seniors […]

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October 19, 2015

Solar Power and Affordable Housing

Sometimes new technologies are first available exclusively to the wealthiest. It looks like in the case of solar we may have a different ballgame. This past summer, the Obama Administration declared measures to promote solar power for low income housing. The government intends to connect local housing authorities to over $520 million in capital from […]

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August 20, 2015

Rise and Shine, Maine: It’s Time to Solarize

Welcome to the age of renewable energy and collaboration. Six years ago in 2009, a group of citizens in Portland, Oregon began a community collaborative program that brings homeowners and businesses together to purchase solar energy installations for buildings in bulk deals that lowers the price per household or business. They called their program Solarize. […]

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July 28, 2015

HERS Rating Freeport Project

Dec 14 Hi Mike: Attached please find the Final HERS Report for the Humphrey Residence in Freeport. Of the 1,000 plus new HERS Rated homes I have evaluated over the years, this home is clearly in the very small group of truly high performance homes. As we discussed, even though this home did not qualify for the […]

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July 25, 2015

Zero Energy Home Newcastle, Maine

Our latest zero energy home project is underway in Newcastle. The home is being built for Nick and Sandra Barth. It is a 1900 square foot single story home with an attached two car garage. What separates this homes from others in the neighborhood is that the Barth’s will never have energy bills. The house […]

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August 13, 2014

Zero Energy Home Project

This is an Energy Independent Cape that we built at the Kelsey Brook subdivision in Freeport, ME. It is a zero energy home entirely producing its own electricity via solar panels on the roof.   OUR UNIQUE  WALL FRAMING SYSTEM We designed the framing system you can see revealed in this first floor bedroom wall.Our […]

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July 14, 2013

Energy Efficient Homes

Electricity produced from the sun is a key component of our program to build healthy  energy efficient and zero energy homes. The cost of solar electricity has dropped to a point that it is affordable and if combined with high tech energy efficient building practices can create energy independence for the home owner. From what […]

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