Tag Archives: Weatherization

(Cancelled)Join Our Course: The Value of Greening Your Home

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** Check out the Winter Courses at Cambridge Center for Adult Education to sign up for this class when it is offered again**

Many homeowners worry about the value of their home in these times and wonder how to make sensible improvements. Come to learn how to improve the value of your home by increasing energy efficiency and conserving natural resources. We will discuss both small, easy D.I.Y. changes and large capital improvements, from weather stripping to installing geothermal systems. We will present financing options from grants to subsidized loans, and introduce expert contractors who will address your specific question and concerns. Come ready to learn and leave with concrete next steps to improve your home, take care of the planet, and invest in a sustainable future for all. Limited to 16.

5 Mondays, 5:45-7:45 pm. Begins Sep. 24
http://www.ccae.org/catalog/detail.php?id=563066

Cambridge Thermal Imaging Project

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This winter photo shows brightness where the most heat is escaping this home.

Cambridge! It’s finally here: a chance to vividly see the cool or warm air leaving your drafty home, without having to pay hefty fees to a thermal photographer. Thanks to the Thermal Imaging Project on which HEET has partnered with Sagewell Inc., Cambridge homeowners can request thermal (infrared) images of the outsides of their homes.

The images are taken with car-mounted cameras similar to those used for Google Maps street view, and taken on a “first come, first served” basis – with highest priority given to locations with highest demand.  With the slight air of a Groupon deal, Sagewell has asked for 400 requests from Cambridge before they will release our thermal images for free.

Because of fossil fuel prices skyrocketing and scientists projecting Cambridge’s summer temperatures will soon start looking more like Atlanta, GA temps, everyone’s heating AND cooling bills are only on their way up. High efficiency in your home is valid for every season.

Even better, the easiest time to work on your home’s energy efficiency is spring and summer, when the wait for weatherization services is short!

Request yours on Sagewell.com now.
It should take about a minute to do so;  just enter your address at the bottom of the home page, hit enter, and then enter your information on the next page that shows up by clicking the green “HERE” (see following photo).

This page appears after you enter your address at the bottom of Sagewell.com's home page.

There have already been over 100 requests for thermal images, so if 300 are generated in the next month, everyone will get to have this great service free of cost.  Tell your neighbors! We all want to save money and live a little lighter on the planet, don’t we?

The Extra Goods
You and other homeowners, condo owners, and landlords can access their images and an individualized report free of charge online via a password-protected account when the images are available (Sagewell will email you a link).  The individualized report shows what to work on, how much it will save you, and connects you with the needed free and rebated services. Commercial building owners and owners of more than one building will be able to view their images and analysis for a small fee.

Not all buildings can be analyzed (due to blocked views from trees, etc. or private way constraints), but Sagewell has agreed to image around 22,000 buildings in Cambridge!

The Thermal Imaging Project will enable residential and commercial building owners to lower costs while supporting our city’s climate and emission reduction goals. One more great tool to wield for average citizens and environmental warriors alike. Get to http://www.Sagewell.com now!

If you have any remaining questions, please contact Sagewell at info@Sagewell.com or HEET at heet.cambridge@gmail.com.

Report from a weatherization barnraising

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My team leader, Torrey Wolff, was very patient with us.

On Saturday we went to our second weatherization barnraising, organized by HEET and the Cambridge Energy Alliance. Last time I learned to install programmable thermostats and Jason caulked windows at two apartment buildings. This time I installed Q-lon weatherstripping around doors and Jason insulated skylights at a daycare center. The end result? The blower door test showed a 50% reduction in leaks—the most HEET has ever measured.
Q-lon is foam weatherstripping in the shape of a V attached to a wooden or metal slat. The V expands to fill any open space between the doorjamb and the door—a lot like the V-channel weatherstripping that we use for our windows. When I found out about the Q-lon last time, I still didn’t know quite how to install it, so I was glad to get the chance. HEET actually has a really good tutorial that walks you through the basics. The most important part is making sure the foam isn’t too compressed or too slack. You do this by sliding a piece of paper between the weatherstripping and the (locked) door. If the paper doesn’t fall out when you let go, it’s tight enough. If it comes out when you pull on it, it’s loose enough.

I’m especially interested in this because the self-adhesive foam weatherstripping that we used last year compressed a lot. I don’t know how effective it is anymore. Since the Q-lon is installed on a different part of the doorjamb, we can keep the foam and just add this to it. It’s a much more permanent solution.

It does require some hacksawing, though, to cut the slats down to the size of your door. This may have been the first time I’ve ever used a hacksaw in my life, and I’m proud to say that I got the hang of it after just a couple of ragged edges.

Jason puts Tyvek over a skylight.

Jason got to use spray foam on the cracks around the skylights. This is only the second time he’s used it, and he picked up some tips. First, wear goggles and gloves, and hold something under the can so it won’t drip anywhere. That stuff never comes out. Second, shake it for a long time, then spray it into a trash can until you get a sense of how fast it comes out. It can expand like crazy. You can cut it down with a razor blade once it’s dry, but it’s easier to not have to. Make sure you have a lot of cracks to fill, though—once you start the can you can’t store it to use again later.

I’ve really enjoyed these weatherizations, and I’d definitely do another. I like the idea that the energy savings that the homeowners see will be multiplied by the skills the volunteers learn to use in our own homes. And it’s nice to meet like-minded neighbors (even the crazy ones).

Cross-posted on pragmaticenvironmentalism.com

Volunteers Take Energy Efficiency to Cambridge’s Main Streets

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CEA canvassing interns: Stephanie, Mira, Danit, Trevor, Federico, Laurence

On July 7th CEA’s six volunteers took to the streets for the first time, canvassing businesses in Inman Square, and eastward on Cambridge Street. Over the next three weeks, they would reach out to over 440 people in small local businesses—barber shops, cafes, hardware stores, book stores, florists, bars, convenience stores, restaurants, bike shops, you name it—in North Cambridge, Leslie and Porter Square, Harvard Square and Church Street, Mount Auburn and Brattle Street, Dana Hill, Bow Street, Central Square, Lafayette, Concord Ave, Huron, East Cambridge, and Broadway.

In 90+ degree heat, over previously unfamiliar terrain, and sometimes through rain storms, the teams of interns  met with over 190 business owners and discussed energy efficiency opportunities—programs and incentives from NSTAR—while also providing information on other sustainability resources, as detailed in my first canvass blog.

These canvassers, our 14 to 18 year-old Northeastern University Summer Discovery and Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment interns—Stephanie, Federico, Danit, Laurence, Mira, and Trevor—distributed information and opportunity all over Cambridge, and gained valuable life and work experiences. For that, they thank the small business community of Cambridge.

We can all thank them for something, too.

After canvassing for 12 days and following up with phone calls to visited businesses, CEA has received 100 requests for energy assessments through NSTAR’s Direct Install, Small Business Program. We expect many more to accrue, as folks have time to browse the literature and call to talk with our Energy Advisor, or sign up online.

If you own a small business in Cambridge, please feel free to call CEA to talk, or sign up online at any time; our canvassers have gone home, but the operation is not over, by any means.

Thanks to NSTAR, CEA, and our six interns, Cambridge has now taken one step further in the direction of reducing its carbon footprint, and thereby, toward taking a concrete stab at the Climate Change caused by Global Warming. Congratulations, Cambridge businesses!

Free Energy Audit Program Began Last Week

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Audit team members prepare for conducting home energy audits.

Cambridge residents looking to save on utility bills for electricity and heating can request a free audit this summer from the Youth Energy Audit Partners, a collaborative project of HEET (Home Energy Efficiency Team) and the Cambridge Community Center. Three audit teams will install energy and water-saving devices, calculate the dollar savings from these devices, and advise homeowners and tenants on the costs and benefits of additional energy efficiency work and how to obtain rebates and contractors. On average, households can realize a 10%-15% savings on electric and heating bills, or an estimated $200 a year by implementing simple measures.

Each team is led by a trained supervisor, and two high school students employed by the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program. The project is made possible by material resources and advice contributed by the Cambridge Energy Alliance, and grant awards from Constellation Energy EcoStar and the Cambridge Agassiz Harvard Fund, which serves as a catalyst for innovative programming to address emerging community needs.

To sign-up for a free audit for home energy savings , contact:
Ms. Doreen Wade, Cambridge Community Center, Tel. 617-547-6811

See also CEA and NSTAR canvass Cambridge businesses

Entire City of Boston to be Scanned for “Energy Gushers”

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IR scan of a local home
Big news coming out of Boston this week. Last Friday, the Wattzy team had the opportunity to join Mayor Tom Menino and MIT Projessor Sanjay Sarma for an historic announcement – the entire City of Boston is to be scanned in infrared.

Infrared scanning is nothing new in the world of single-family homes, as any energy efficiency pro can tell you. Utilities like NStar even offer home infrared scans at free or discounted cost. They are highly effective at identifying areas of home heating inefficiency. Although commercial services have offered wide-area aerial scans for some time, this will be the first complete street-level scan of a major city.

If any place can use a city-wide scan, it certainly is Boston. Our housing stock is some of the oldest in the country, which means a huge opportunity for energy savings. The Boston Climate Action Leadership Committee estimates that Boston business and residents “could save more than $2 billion over 10 years” through basic weatherization.

It was no coincidence that this historic event took place at the offices of Next Step Living, a leading Boston-based contractor that provides energy efficiency services directly to homeowners.

Contractors like Next Step Living “are the energy drillers of the clean-tech era,” said MIT Professor Sanjay Sarma. “Instead of the Gulf, they are drilling for energy savings in our homes. This infrared technology is for prospecting.” Professor Sarma is widely credited as the technology visionary behind the foundation of the commercial RFID industry.

Continuing with the “Drill, Baby! Drill!” theme, Galen Nelson, the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s green tech business manager said, “The American home is often referred to as the Saudi Arabia of energy efficiency. There’s so much to be capped.”

In addition to developing the infrared technology to scan every square foot of Boston from the aircraft and street level, Professor Sarma isn’t afraid to put his money where his mouth is. He displayed an infrared image of his home pulsating with red highlights from excessive heat loss. A still version is show above.

“An Energy Gusher,” Professor Sarma said, “and a huge opportunity.”

We at Wattzy certainly agree! The opportunity to save with energy efficiency can indeed be huge.

That’s why Wattzy provides Professor Sarma and all residents of the City of Boston with an easy way to estimate and track their savings from energy efficiency projects.

Volunteers go door to door in East Cambridge

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CFL exchange volunteers On Sunday, February 21, eighteen volunteers participated in a community canvass campaign to spread awareness about simple home improvements to save money, energy, and the planet. The event organized by the Home Energy Efficiency Team and the Cambridge Energy Alliance sought to help cut carbon emissions in East Cambridge through a CFL light bulb exchange.

Exchanging incandescent light bulbs for compact fluorescents is one of the easiest and effective ways to reduce energy use at home. A compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) will save about $30 over its lifetime and pay for itself in about 6 months. It uses 75 percent less energy and lasts about 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb. If every Massachusetts household would exchange just one incandescent light bulb to an energy saving CFL, it would save enough energy to light all the homes in Boston for 100 days, reduce greenhouse gas equivalent to removing more than 17,000 cars from the road, and save more than $20 million annually in reduced energy costs.

Volunteers exchanged 129 incandescents bulbs for CFLs, saving over 76,000 lbs of CO2 emissions. Volunteers worked together in teams, offered free energy-efficient CFL light bulbs, initiated dialogue about simple home energy-saving tips, and invited folks to participate in an upcoming Community Weatherization Barnraising on February 28th. The Home Energy Efficiency Team will be weatherizing two houses in East Cambridge. Special guest Andrew Ference—Boston Bruins defenseman and avid climate change activist—will be attending this exciting event and making a donation to the New England Grassroots Environment Fund, one of HEET’s funders.

These type of events go a long way to spreading important information about climate change and energy efficiency solutions to people in our communities who may not otherwise receive it. To learn more information about community barnraisings visit HEET’s website.

Green Shelter Project Underway at Transition House

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Press Release:  Green Shelter Project Underway at Transition House

Cambridge, MA — Transition House, Cambridge’s nonprofit domestic violence prevention agency, is greening its Emergency Shelter. The 120-year-old building buzzed with activity on Sunday, January 10, as Transition House kicked its Green Shelter Project into high gear with a modern-day weatherization barn-raising in partnership with the Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET), the Cambridge Energy Alliance and New Generation Energy.  “We were excited to have so many skilled and  enthusiastic volunteers join together to make the Shelter more energy efficient  and more comfortable for the 100 people who live there each year,” relayed Risa Mednick, chair of the Transition House Board. “We’re connecting the dots between environmental sustainability, energy conservation and sustaining vital programs in an era when domestic violence is on the rise and the needs of survivors far outstrips available resources.” “Every dollar we save on utility expenses will be redirected toward strengthening services our community depends on,” says Mednick.

Over 40 volunteers worked nonstop in groups led by HEET trainers sealing drafty basement leaks, caulking windows, installing low flow faucets and shower heads, replacing incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient compact florescents (CFLs) and weather stripping doorways. Former Mayor and City Councilor Denise Simmons, Councilor Sam Seidel and Councilor and State Representative Tim Toomey lent a hand. Transition House board members and the Middle East restaurant provided food for hungry workers. HEET donated all supplies and training and the Cambridge Energy Alliance donated CFL bulbs.

“In a few hours, we swapped out 50 light bulbs in 15 rooms, caulked all the windows and doors, fitted sinks with new aerators, and sealed over 140 feet of band joists that were a major source of heat loss,” reported Audrey Schulman, HEET’s president. Based on before and after measurements, HEET estimates a reduction of over $600 per year on heat and electricity bills.  “We look for ways an organization like Transition House or an individual in their own home can realize big savings with small changes, says Schulman. One example: simply replacing the old bulbs in exit signs that operate 24/7 with high efficiency LEDs will save Transition House over $100 per year.

Chuck Lewin, founder of New Generation Energy ducked below basement pipes and beams as he sealed up air leaks remarking, “Every small thing each of us did here will have a lasting impact for Transition House. The environmental benefit can multiply if everyone applies what they’ve learned to their own homes and apartments.” HEET trainer Lilah Glick, of the Cambridge Energy Alliance led the team replacing thermostats with instruction in Spanish and English and shared that “programmable thermostats are an inexpensive way to reduce energy consumption, typically saving the average home over $150 dollars a year.”

Introducing low income homeless women  to new skills that might spark their interest in green  jobs and  training opportunities is another important goal of the Green Shelter Project; engaging them in energy saving strategies as a part of budgeting and money management is also key.

Next steps for the organization include: continuing work with HEET to train staff and clients on changing work and lifestyle behaviors to increase energy conservation and savings; collaborating with New Generation Energy and the Cambridge Energy Alliance to monitor utility consumption patterns and assess the efficacy of renewable energy systems for the Emergency Shelter; and a green kitchen renovation.

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About Transition House: Transition House, a nonprofit organization in Cambridge, MA, works to break the cycle of domestic violence. Transition House offers a continuum of safe, supportive housing options for individuals and families escaping abuse as well as prevention education in school and community settings. Since 1975, Transition House has been a lifeline to thousands of families as they rebuild their lives and has educated tens of thousands of youth in Cambridge and Greater Boston. www.transitionhouse.org

Partners in this green initiative include: the Home Energy Efficiency Team (www.heetma.org), Cambridge Energy Alliance (www.cambridgeenergyalliance.org) and New Generation Energy (www.newgenerationenergy.org) respected organizations with a shared interest in engaging public awareness and increasing participation in conservation and energy efficiency initiatives.

Home Audits rise and Fall with the Seasons

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We here at the Cambridge Energy Alliance have noticed that we have “busy season” when it comes to interest in Home Energy Audits.  As the weather starts to get colder, people tend to start thinking more about ways they can keep their home warm and save money on their heating bills.

The follow graph shows the relative interest in the search term “Home Energy Audit” from people in the Boston Metro Area over the last year.

As you can see, interest peaked this year in January-February 2009 right around the coldest part of Winter.  Unfortunately with the increased interest, comes delays in scheduling energy audits because too many people want audits all at the same time.  Fortunately, there is still time this season to get an energy audit before the rush is fully on.  You can learn more about energy audits in Cambridge by clicking here. You can learn more about Energy Audits generally and in Massachusetts by clicking here.

Jackfrost nipping at your nose

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snowflake Although you could be forgiven for wondering if we even had a summer, it’s clear winter’s just around the corner. Here are some ideas to help you prepare:

  • Eat spicy food
  • Drink warm beverages
  • Use body heat instead of central heating: cuddle
  • Wear socks/slippers: warm tootsies = warm feelings

For other, more pragmatic tips, see the CEA website.