Evergreen Home Performance has helped hundreds of homeowners make their homes more comfortable and energy efficient. Learn how this Belfast, Maine family transformed their old house meeting high heating costs, a wet, moldy basement, unhealthy indoor air, and troubling respiratory problems head on. Then contact Evergreen Home Performance at 594-2244 for your FREE energy-smart consultand find out how we can do the same for you!

The House
This Greek Revival home in Belfast, Maine was built in 1842. Even with the thermostat set at a moderate level, it took 1500 gallons of oil, 150 gallons of propane, and “a whole lot of money” to heat the place. There were shallow puddles in the basement whenever it rained hard, which of course encouraged black mold.The

The Homeowners
Mike and Lee didn't think energy efficiency was possible for their 1842 Greek Revival, but they couldn't stomach rising fuel costs and increasingly unhealthy indoor air. When they learned that Lee's respiratory problems could be linked to their wet, moldy basement, they knew they had to act.

The Audit
Energy Advisor Ham Niles used a blower door test to evaluate air leakage and an infrared survey to identify areas of heat loss where insulation was missing. Computer energy modeling helped to quantify the savings from improvements in the attic, basement, and sidewalls. However, the home’s ultimate longevity depended on dealing with the moisture issues.

The Project
In the basement, Evergreen Home Performance installed a vapor barrier to keep moisture outside the building envelope.  Affixed to the foundation walls with spray foam insulation, slipped under appliances and support posts, and topped with a new concrete slab, the barrier creates a clean capillary break.  The basement has been transformed from a damp, uninviting place to a clean, dry space.

In the sidewalls and attic, dense-packed cellulose reduced air leakage and heat loss and improved the home’s thermal envelope.  Double-plastered walls and the discovery of knob-and-tube wiring complicated this stage of the project, but Mike and Lee were pleased that the crew “kept working around it, and through it, and finished the job.”

Evergreen’s persistence was just one part of the “calm, professional tone” that impressed the homeowners. “Everyone was so respectful of our home and our neighborhood,” Lee said. “There were six or seven people working here most days, and they let us know what they were doing and where they were working. It was a professional operation.”

The Results
Reducing air leakage was a major goal, and the results are impressive. Thanks to strategic air sealing and insulation, the house is 45% less leaky. Keeping warm air in the house will reduce heating costs by a projected 40%, saving almost 550 gallons of oil annually. Best of all, Mike and Lee can relax and enjoy their home. “I tend to worry about everything,” said Lee, “but I have less to worry about now.”

They’d love to see other historic homes get the kind of upgrades they’re enjoying.  “These old places are long on charm,” said Mike, “but they have to be brought up to speed or they’ll become uninhabitable.”