Ever since people began building homes in Maine, the techniques used to stop cold air from coming in have evolved, from stuffing rags between the gaps to 100 percent “green” cellulose. Today, technology, specialized equipment and new products are being used to give homeowners ways to significantly cut their energy bills, according to Weatherize Northeast President John Morrison, one of a number of weatherization experts in central and western Maine.

“If you live in an older home with little or no insulation, it not only costs more (to heat), but you put (more) pollutants into the air, deplete a nonrenewable natural resource, and who doesn’t shiver when you are sitting in a house and get hit by a blast of cold air on a windy winter day,” says Morrison.