FARMINGTON — Volunteers in Franklin County are working on preventing heat loss in homes through the Community Energy Challenge, said Nancy Teel, a member of the Franklin County Energy Resource Team.

A pilot project is under way at 82 High St. where a handful of volunteers are building window panels to stop heat loss and determine a process that works for other homes, she said. The Community Energy Challenge is dedicated to weatherizing homes with reusable interior windows.

“We’re identifying each step and task that needs to be done and how complicated it is and developing a process that works,” she said.

The fairly durable panels, made of pine wood, clear plastic and glue, fit into the window frame, said Isaac Frith, an AmeriCorps VISTA member working on the project through the United Way of the Tri-Valley Area.

Under the Community Energy Challenge, grants have provided materials and equipment to meet a goal of 25 homes this year and 100 each year over the next five years, he said.

Homeowners who can help pay for materials are encouraged to do so, but if they can’t the panels are provided free. The challenge program works in collaboration with the United Way of the Tri-Valley Area and the Maine Community Service Commission.

“Heat escapes 24-30 percent through glass in every home. The panel acts as a barrier or insulator to keep that much heat from escaping,” he said.

The panels are clear and can be seen through but must be installed inside the home, he said.

While the panels are fairly easy to make, each one is custom-made requiring that each window is accurately measured, Teel said. The measurement needs to be within 0.16 of an inch, which can be a challenge in some older homes.

The project modeled on programs in the Midcoast area, including Habitat for Humanity, is trying to get out in communities throughout Maine, she said.

Volunteers in Farmington completed training offered by Charlie Wing of Keep ME Warm earlier this fall. More volunteers, including homeowners and community members, are needed to help with the initiative that is dovetailed with Western Maine Community Action heating programs.

Eventually the panels may be made at state correction facilities, she said.

Moderate- to low-income homeowners eligible for the six panels per home are eligible for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, she said. An energy walk-through audit is also available for homeowners through WMCA.

“It’s amazing how much money is raised here for fuel assistance but it’s not sustainable — not for the long term,” Teel said. “We need to make changes in the way we live to decrease our dependence on oil. Maine is one of the largest users of home heating oil for some of the oldest homes.”

Volunteers for the Community Energy Challenge can help build the window panels or choose to be a weatherization evaluator, after attending a training session. Workshops through Adult Basic Education for volunteers will soon be offered here in Farmington and at a site in the northern part of the county, she said.

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