2008W
2008
What we could do
We started weatherizing structures in 2008. A good first step in improving the energy efficiency of an existing home is to have an energy audit.
One of our weatherization projects was at an elder care facility, Round Pond Green, in Round Pond, Maine. We were to perform standard work adding cellulose insulation to the exterior walls and 2nd floor ceiling, insulating the basement ceiling, and air sealing. As we began the project we were asked to design and price additional work that included turning 1800 square feet of 2nd floor space into apartments and offices.
We included an option to add 2″ of polyiso foam board to the inside of the exterior walls and to lift floor boards at the exterior walls so we could insulate the rim joists. The option was accepted and we performed a DEEP ENERGY RETROFIT. The diagram to the right shows the procedure.
As a result 1800 s.f. of heated space was added and less oil was burned the next heating season for the entire structure.
2026
What we can do now
It was 2008 when I first posted this on the website. Back then, we could already do remarkable things to improve the energy efficiency of an older structure. What we couldn’t do was replace oil and gas as the primary energy source for heating.
The core techniques we used in 2008—air sealing, insulation upgrades, moisture management, and tightening the building envelope—are still the foundation of a good retrofit today. What has changed is the technology available to replace fossil‑fuel heating systems.
Today, air‑source heat pumps provide reliable heat at a very reasonable operating cost, powered entirely by electricity. Air‑to‑water heat pump systems can now replace oil and gas boilers in homes with hydronic heating. And solar, which was prohibitively expensive in 2008, now produces electricity at the lowest cost of any energy source.
When you combine building‑envelope improvements with modern heat pump technology and solar, you can dramatically reduce your energy use—and in many cases, become effectively energy independent.
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