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.
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- Josh Marriner of Weatherize Northeast balances on the steps with some leg extensions as he fills gaps in a garage being insulated with spray foam.
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- Matt Capano of Weatherize Northeast stretches the Par Pac Poly before it is stapled and filled with insulation made of non-circulated newsprint that is treated with flame retardants and mold and mildew inhibitors.
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- Hosing used to transfer cellulose insulation from a high-tech machine to walls and ceilings is stacked in one of the company’s trailers parked outside a job site in Lewiston recently.
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- Matt Capano of Weatherize Northeast breaks off chunks of insulation at a construction site in Lewiston recently. The insulation is fed into a machine that grinds the material up and blows it through a hose to a technician, who then directs it into holes in reinforced webbing stretched between support beams in the floors and ceilings.
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- A pneumatic staple gun is a staple in the inventory of tools for construction workers.
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- Staples every few inches hold the Par Pac Poly in place.
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- Every crack is filled with spray foam and trimmed to prevent any heat loss.
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