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Green Building resources

Al Heath House Al Heath was a builder, designer, and contractor of energy efficient housing for more than 15 years. He now provides consulting services to builders and homeowners on all aspects of high-efficiency, super-insulation, passive solar design for new home construction and older home retrofit.  The house that he completed in 2005, heats comfortably on 1.5 cords of wood and 75 gallons of K1.  75% of domestic hot water is provided by an active solar system.
Energysmiths Energysmiths Helping people create buildings and communities that connect us to the natural world, relying on sustainable systems that support both human and planetary health.
Green Fret Consulting Green Fret Consulting Topher Belknap, Green Building Consultant.
Our goal is to provide you with as energy-efficient, green, comfortable, a home as possible. We can help with older homes or new homes, or dreams you have yet to even put on paper. Energy audits, Site evaluations, Heat loss analysis, Interior Storm Windows, Permaculture, and Questions answered.
Island Carpentry Island Carpentry, Inc. is a contracting company located in Midcoast Maine. For 25 years we have specialized in new construction as well as renovations and additions.  Our designs incorporate passive solar orientation, super insulation, radiant heat, and options to produce electricity and hot water from solar.
Emerald Builders Emerald Builders Offering Green Home Solutions, Bowdoinham, ME
Goals:
  • To constantly incorporate new techniques in our building methods.
  • To use locally sourced, reclaimed, and energy efficient materials wherever possible.
  • To practice environmental stewardship.
  • To make green building accessible to everyone.
  • To keep an open mind.
Edo Village One Eco-Village One - Maine's First Affordable Zero-Energy Housing Development Our proposed homes will feature:
  • Super insulation
  • Air exchange system
  • Solar thermal domestic hot water
  • Passive solar
  • Energy star rated appliances
  • Compact fluorescent lights
The above list will achieve more than 70% energy savings.
EcoCor EcoCor is a Midcoast Maine based Design/Build firm that focuses itself on its dedication to sustainable building practices and personal service to its customers. Houses built to the Passive House standard: The most rigorous building energy standard on the planet!
Midcoast Energy Systems Mid-Coast Energy Systems. The mission of Mid-Coast Energy Systems is to provide customers with the highest quality plumbing, heating and electrical installation and service. It is our responsibility to stay on the cutting edge of our trade. We provide our customers with professional expertise and superior workmanship.
Penobscot Home Performance Penobscot Home Performance. Services include a home performance energy audit, installation of energy efficient improvements and a final home evaluation.

Green Stores in Maine

Maine Green Building Supply Maine Green Building Supply is your complete source for genuine green building materials. We supply actual construction products that are straight forward to use and easily specified into your plan. We research the most practical environmental construction materials and energy systems available. At Maine Green Building Supply, our products and expertise can help reduce energy usage, create a healthy indoor environment, all the while considering the health of our planet. Browse our website, call or visit our showroom. We venture beyond the standard to find what you need to make your project green and protect our planet.

Window Insulation Treatments

Advanced Energy Panels Advanced Energy Panels are not storm windows, nor are they replacement windows. Rather, they are window insulation - a window insulation panel made to insulate those drafty windows that you have now.
Green Fret Consulting Green Fret Interior Storms
We build interior storm windows for many applications. Including triple pane versions for demanding applications (such as single pane windows, skylights, extra large windows, and extremely efficient buildings). Interior storms are available in natural pine, bright white primed, or custom wood and paint options. We ship, in kit form, anywhere in the U.S.
Interior Storms DIY interior window insulation panels
This web page shows exactly how to build window insulation panels that can double the R value of your windows and save you a bundle on your heating bill. They cost about $1.00/sq. ft. to make and take 2 people about 30-40 minutes per window to make.

Solar Dealers and Installers in Maine

American Sun Electric American Sun Electric is a NABCEP certified Solar Photovoltaic installer, all installations are carried out by an accredited Master Electrician. Our dual licensing allows for a full Electrical service - from producing the electricity on your roof, down to installing the light switches that will allow you to turn on and utilize the energy that you created.
Heliotropic Technologies Heliotropic Technologies is a renewable energy systems and energy engineering company that has been located in Boothbay Harbor since 1980. Heliotropic Technologies was created to help the world become a better place by doing its part to reduce energy consumption and human-induced global climate change, while offering rewarding jobs to its employees.  Energy independence, demand for low intrinsic energy products, global climate awareness and other green marketing incentives have increased the demand for services and products that Heliotropic Technologies is uniquely positioned to provide.
Independent Power Independent Power specializes in the design and installation of electric power systems for Maine homes and businesses, not served by utility companies. Unique, remote, and challenging sites are our specialty. We also install automatic standby generator systems, providing back-up power and peace of mind for full-time residences as well as seasonal homes.
Maine Solar Maine Solar specializing in "Off-Grid" power production
  • Authorized dealer for Trace, Solarex, APT, Kyocera & more.
  • Bulk distributor of Kyocera solar modules to solar contractors and dealers.
  • Onsite evaluations and energy audits
  • Design and construction
  • Sizing and consultation
  • Thermal mass construction
  • Wholesale distributor for solar modules
Maine Energy Performance Solutions Maine Energy Performance Solutions is an energy service company, specializing in design and implementation of solar installations and energy efficiency strategies. We provide energy management to your business that make buildings more comfortable, healthier and affordable to operate.
Penobscot Solar Design Penobscot Solar Design is a full service provider of quality, installed alternative electric systems. We specialize in off-grid sales, design and installation of solar, wind and back-up electrical systems. We are committed to helping our customers find the best solutions to their electrical needs. Penobscot Solar Design has been installing quality off-grid systems for 14 years . Our office is 100% solar powered. We live with what we sell. Our employees also all live off grid. We believe in what we do.
ReVision Energy ReVision Energy (formerly Energy Works LLC) is a full service company offering design, sales, installation and service. We don't just sell equipment. We have a trained staff of licensed and insured technicians who are experts in their fields.
ReVision Energy NORTH
91 West Main Street
Liberty, Maine 04949
1-877-enworks
ReVision Energy SOUTH
Portland, ME
207-221-6342

Solar Market Since 1975 Solar Market has been designing and installing renewable energy systems for a wide range of applications.
We offer renewable energy technology that is both state of the art and dependable. Our experienced product team constantly surveys and tests energy products available on the market. We use only the most reliable, cost effective technologies, incorporating them into renewable energy solutions that easily integrate into your home or business.
Assured Solar Logo Assured Solar Energy has been in business since 2006 as a solar design and installation company specializing in solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. We are experienced with both off-grid and grid-tied systems, and work with residential, commercial, and agricultural customers. We have installations up and running in every corner of Midcoast and Central Maine, from Kennebunk to Bath, from Auburn to Eagle Island. We offer only the best technologies available, and take pride in doing neat, attractive, and safe installations.

Other Green products

A. E. Sampson & Son Ltd. A. E. Sampson & Son Ltd. Wood Flooring from the forests of Maine
A. E. Sampson and Son Ltd. has been milling wood flooring for decades. The quality of our flooring reflects the experience of those many years. Our Maine mill is close to premier hardwood and softwood forests ensuring Sampson's high quality raw material. You can purchase with confidence some of the finest wood flooring on the market.

Sustainable Building and practices

Cold Climate Home Cold Climate Home The purpose of this web site is to educate homeowners, contractors, real estate agents, and other interested parties and to promote the renovation of existing homes to very high energy efficiency standards or what is called "Deep Energy Retrofit.".

This web site will show you how to radically change the energy use of your home which represents a large part of our state's and country's energy pie.
Bright Built Barn BrightBuilt Barn is the product of a collaboration among a team of some of the Northeast's top green professionals, who decided to create a prototype for the sustainable house of the 21st century. The result is an award-winning, practical, affordable, beautiful structure that is one of the only buildings in the world to be designed to be truly carbon neutral: by making more clean energy than it consumes, over its lifespan, BrightBuilt Barn will actually offset all the atmospheric greenhouse gases produced by its construction.
Guy Marsden's extensive web site details the design and installation of his 4kW solar power system, solar building heating system, solar domestic hot water system, solar powered lawnmower conversion, and his Sustainable living efforts. 
Topher Belknap's House Hjälmaren, Topher Belknap's superinsulated, passive solar, timber framed, Larsen truss home. Very energy efficient home with few gadgets. It is heated on two cords per year, and uses around 150 kilowatt-hours per month.
This website has a step by step description of the building process, a description of the timber frame, and the larsen truss, the solar hot water heating system, an ongoing journal, the architectural patterns, used, an accounting of energy used, and some descriptions of improvements made since it was built.
Maine Solar House Welcome to the Maine Solar House of Bill & Debbi Lord. Our website is filled with information on how we harvest Free energy from the sun!
Why pay for home electricity and heating fuel when the sun offers a free alternative? Time to create your own energy policy.
Build-it-Solar Build It Solar
  • Plans, tools and information to do renewable energy and conservation projects.
  • Hundreds of projects - from changing a light bulb to building a solar home.
  • Design information and tools for building renewable energy projects.
  • An Experimental section for backyard inventors.
Nothing For Sale here - just free ideas, plans, and information.

Energy Monitors

Kill-a-watt meter Kill A Watt meter
Simply connect appliances to the Kill A Watt™, and it will assess how efficient they really are. Large LCD display will count consumption by the Killowatt-hour, same as your local utility. You can calculate your electrical expenses by the day, week, month, even an entire year.  Now you'll know if it is time for a new refrigerator or if that old air conditioner is still saving you money. With the amazing Kill A Watt™ you'll know "Watts" killing you.
Blue Line Power Cost Monitor Blueline Power Cost Monitor can help you save up to 20 cents on every dollar you're spending right now on your electricity bill - without changing your lifestyle. And the PowerCost Monitor™ can help you do it.  A sensor mounts to your electric meter and sends real time electric usage information to the portable monitor up to 100 feet away.
Why wait for your electricity bill when you can see what you are spending on electricity as you spend it. With a PowerCost Monitor™ you can tell at a glance how much electricity your home is consuming - moment-to-moment and in total.
ScanGuage II The ScanGauge II Automotive Computer mounts to your dash and provides four simultaneous real time displays of such things as MPG, Cost per mile, fuel per trip, fuel remaining and other useful info. The built-in Scan Tool allows you to read trouble codes and diagnose potentially expensive problems before they get out of hand.
Mount this tool to your dashboard and it will help you learn to conserve fuel by showing your real-time MPG. Many users have reported significant gas savings.
torque display The Torque app for android is a complete car performance and diagnostic tool which runs on your andriod phone or tablet. It has customizable screens which can display myriads of data about how your car is running. Including instantaneous and trip MPG, RPM, coolant temperature, and many others. Torque has a free and a pro (pay $6) version. The pro version allows the addition of new information displays (particularly useful for owners of a Prius).
This requires a adapter (bluetooth) to attach to your ODBII port in your car (all cars newer than 1996). Adapters are available for around $15-$100.

Solar and Green Energy Components made in Maine

Ascendant Energy Ascendant Energy. Solar provides the solution to our energy, environmental, and economic needs now. Daily, the sun delivers clean electricity, hot water, space heating and cooling that lets everyone lock-in today's energy prices forever.

Ascendant Energy brings solar to a higher plane by developing roof tops, parking areas, and other underutilized real estate. Using innovative technology and financing, Ascendant is making solar current.
ART TEC Solar ART TEC Solar manufactures solar powered Differential Temperature Controllers for closed loop solar heating applications.  Designed to control solar powered pumps in closed loop solar heating systems,  these controllers improve performance by preventing the pump from running if the collectors become cooler than the storage tank.  This typically occurs on overcast days and early and late on cold days when there is enough sunlight on the solar panel to power the pump, but the collectors are not hotter than the storage tank.
EOS Solar Evacuated tube solar collectors made in Maine.
EOS Solar designs and manufactures ISO9001: 2000 certified products that are innovative, and environmentally friendly. They are specifically designed by working tradesmen to offset greenhouse gas CO2 emissions and the energy produced by the burning of fossil fuels. It is our goal to reduce consumer energy costs, help protect our environment, and provide jobs to the the traditional Plumbing and Heating Trades. The EOS-S Series is our solution for heating domestic hot water, radiant floor heating, process water heating, and pool or spa heating.

Purist Energy
Purist Energy was founded in 2004 with the realization that though much of the technical aspects of renewable energy technologies had been researched and field tested, most installations still required significant installation costs and lacked uniformity and quality control of appliances. The first product for development is a line of prepackaged solar thermal appliances, reflecting the fact that water heating typically accounts for over 15% of residential energy consumption. Coupled with any of the various available solar collectors, these systems reduce the complexity of installation and can be self installed, installed by the conventional trades, or installed by solar-specialized trades.

Organizations

Efficiency Maine Efficiency Maine - program of the Public Utilities Commission
Efficiency Maine's Residential Lighting Program enlists the participation of and works closely with manufacturers and lighting retailers to encourage them to produce and sell energy efficient lighting products to the residents of Maine.

Currently participating retailers are displaying instant, redeemable-at-cash-register coupons. Look for $1.50 instant coupons on ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) and $12 off ENERGY STAR qualified outdoor CFL hard-wired fixtures, indoor hard-wired fixtures, table lamps, floor lamps, torchieres and hard-wired ceiling fans with integrated light kits.
University of Maine Energy Information
Many Maine residents are having trouble meeting their needs for heating, transportation and food due to rising fuel prices. University of Maine Cooperative Extension has established this Web site to provide research-based information on saving money through energy conservation and alternative energy sources.
Carbon Free Homes Carbon Free Homes We're here to help Maine households cut down on energy use, save money and become part of the solution to global warming by purchasing clean energy and reducing their CO2 output.  This site offers you all you need to reduce your home's carbon footprint:
http://passivhausmaine.org/ Passivhaus Maine is a passionate and diverse group committed to decreasing carbon emissions, decreasing dependency on foreign fuels and decreasing costs for winter heating across the economic strata in Maine. Passive House represents the ultimate answer to energy conservation in buildings by eliminating up to 90% of required energy use.
Maine Solar Energy Association Maine Solar Energy Association
For Information about MESEA, email: sunwatt@juno.com
or write:
Richard Komp, President
Maine Solar Energy Association
17 Rockwell Rd. SE
Jonesport ME 04649
Maine Interfaith Power and Light Inspired by diverse faith perspectives, Maine Interfaith Power and Light works to protect the natural world from climate change by engaging the faith communities and people of Maine in energy conservation and the use of clean, renewable energy.
Northeast Sustainable Energy Association The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) is the Northeast's leading organization of professionals and concerned citizens working in sustainable energy and whole systems thinking. NESEA facilitates the widespread adoption and use of sustainable energy by providing support to industry professionals and by educating and motivating consumers to learn about, ask for, and adopt sustainable energy and green building practices. NESEA accomplishes this through its Building Energy conference and trade show, K-12 resources, an advocacy network, high profile public events such as the Tour de Sol and the Green Building Open House, its chapters and members, and its Sustainable Green Pages.
Natural Resources Council of Maine The Natural Resources Council of Maine is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization protecting, restoring, and conserving Maine's environment, now and for future generations.

We work to improve the quality of Maine's rivers, reduce poisonous chemicals threatening human and wildlife health, decrease air and global warming pollution, and conserve Maine lands. NRCM harnesses the power of the law, science, and the voices of almost 11,000 supporters statewide and beyond. Together, we are making a difference. Help us protect the nature of Maine - become a member today!
Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, (MOFGA) formed in 1971, is the oldest and largest state organic organization in the country.

Mission: The purpose of the Association is to help farmers and gardeners grow organic food, protect the environment, recycle natural resources, increase local food production, support rural communities, and illuminate for consumers the connection between healthful food and environmentally sound growing practices.
They also produce the annual Common Ground country Fair in Unity, Maine.
Chewonki Foundation The Chewonki Foundation. Fostering an appreciation for the natural world and for working in community with others.
Lincoln Academy Climate Action Club Lincoln Academy Climate Action Club
We are a student run club at Lincoln Academy in Newcastle, Maine. We are dedicated to fighting global warming, both in our school and community. We are currently working on many advocacy projects. All club members are extremely dedicated and committed to making our school and town a better place.

Tax Credits and Incentives

Energy Star Federal Tax Credits for Renewable Energy Systems

Tax Credit:
30% of cost with no upper limit
Expires:
December 31, 2016
Details:
Existing homes & new construction qualify. Both principal residences and second homes qualify. Rentals do not qualify.
Maine State Energy Program Maine's Solar Energy Rebate Program
The Solar Energy Rebate Program applies to solar electric and thermal energy systems purchased after July 1, 2005. Rebated and grants are also available for significant building efficiency upgrades.

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