What’s unique about Horizon Homes’ whole-home approach to energy efficiency?
When we go into someone’s home, we always start with a free energy assessment—similar to a building inspection, but from an efficiency standpoint—that takes everything into consideration: insulation, air sealing, weatherization, moisture issues. Our goal is to give homeowners a roadmap to how they can have the most energy efficient, affordable, comfortable home with the lowest carbon footprint possible. For some people, getting off of fossil fuels is a big concern, but in general, everyone wants lower energy bills and higher comfort levels. We’re providing solutions for how to make a home use as little energy as possible for heating and cooling while suggesting systems to put in place that best serve a family’s needs.
When it comes to projects like these, upfront cost is often a barrier. What kind of financing and rebates are available?
Efficiency Maine offers rebates that apply to all Maine homeowners on both the weatherization side and the heating and cooling side in percentages of job totals of up to $10,000, which means homeowners are getting $4,000 to $8,000 back if they’re doing a whole-home job. There are also low-interest financing options, and one even has a 0% interest rate. Certainly, these improvements have cost, but very often we can make it a net positive where you’re paying X dollars a year for heating and cooling but your payment is less than the heating and cooling difference. At the end of the day, making these improvements can also increase the value of your home.
When you're looking at older homes in Maine, what are some of the upgrades that you recommend first?
I live in a 1795 farmhouse, which is as bad as it gets, right? In homes like mine, it’s always insulation and air sealing. Sometimes we have to frame out new things, sometimes there are issues in the attic we have to address, but even these old homes can be made much more energy efficient and comfortable with re-air sealing and insulating to great standards.
What are some misconceptions you find homeowners have about energy efficiency?
The big one is needing new windows. In reality, windows are pretty low on the efficiency ladder, which is good because they’re super expensive and there aren’t any rebates for them. When people think their windows are drafty, what we tell them is that it’s likely because there isn’t enough insulation in the attic. It’s called the stack effect: when it’s cold outside, the heat rises up through the top of your house and out through the roof, where there often isn’t adequate insulation and air sealing. All the heat is getting pulled up through the roof, which creates a suction of cold air through the weakest points in the house down below—that’s usually around your windows, your front door, and cracks in the basement. The thermodynamics of how buildings work isn’t always intuitive, but it’s largely good news because it means homeowners can add insulation instead of replacing all their windows and doors.
How have you seen homeowner attitudes towards energy efficiency change over the past few years?
More people are certainly starting to understand the value of it. Ten to twenty years ago, there was a very specific segment of the population that sought out and completed this kind of work on their homes. Efficiency Maine has done a good job of marketing their programs to everyone, so you know you’re going to get some money back and lower the amount you need to finance. The rebates really make it a win-win for people, so that suddenly a whole-home project doesn’t seem like that big of a deal.
What do you want Mainers to know about the long-term benefits of investing in energy efficiency?
I think just letting people know that it’s even an option to be comfortable in your house year-round is huge. When I was younger, we just put a sweater on when it was 60 degrees inside the house in the winter! Now, I know that it’s possible to have a home that’s cool in the summer and warm in the winter without costing a fortune. People are sweating to pay their utility bills when there are alternatives that can help them live better and reduce the carbon footprint of their homes. It’s feasible, it’s accessible, and it’s beneficial to living affordably and comfortably.
Our goal is to give homeowners a roadmap to how they can have the most energy-efficient, affordable, comfortable home with the lowest carbon footprint possible.