They arrived, carrying items that looked as though they were about to set up for a band concert in the library.  However, far from being drum kits and guitars, the items they brought were to determine what kind of a sieve we were actually living in, and where the biggest holes in the sieve could be found.

Topher, as well as being a member of the Collaborative, is also the owner of Green Fret Consulting, which provides site analysis, energy use suggestions, energy audits, and research for individuals’ questions about green energy.  Paul is one of a thousand Americans who was trained by Al Gore to teach others about global warming.  Mike’s focus is green building, but he is also interested in helping clients of older homes find ways to make their charming older homes warmer, less expensive, and less carbon intensive.  Rena is an independent filmmaker who is interested in green building and renovation, and wants to show other people what it takes to do an audit and renovate older properties. 
And so it was that at 9:30 a.m., our audit process began.

The first thing that Paul and Topher did was to walk around the house and measure the external perimeter.  It was a particularly cold day, so the next thing we did was have a cup of hot tea while we waited for Rena and Mike to come in.  And a cookie or two.

Next, Paul and Topher measured all the windows and took notes about what kind of windows they were.  Most of our windows ... and we have a lot of them ... were in pretty good shape,  we were told.  However, they also needed to be closed and locked ... who knew? ... and around the windows we had some problems.  Some of the windows could not be closed because there was ice on the inside.  We like it cool, but not that cool.

They closed as many windows as they could, and told me to melt the ice later and put some muscle into closing the windows later.  They also told us to take out our screens.  Upstairs, we discovered that there really was no way into the attic, and thus, no way to determine whether or not we had sufficient insulation there, although we suspected not.  Mike will come later and cut a trapdoor hole in the ceiling in my office through which we can blow insulation.

Then, we went down to the so-called warm basement.  The furnace lives there, and it’s not my favorite place to be, but in the basement, they pointed out some serious problems.  The furnace had a valve that was apparently stuck open, and water was dripping from it onto the ground, which was bad enough, but the sump pump had stopped working, too, so the water was now on the floor, rather than being pulled away from the basement.  The chimney probably needed some work, too, they said.  And they strongly urged us to get an electrician who could sort out the electrical problems - most of the basement runs on extension cords, which are bad news.

Also, the person who lived in our house before us ... I will not say his name ... made some grave errors with the little insulating he did.  In the basement, he covered the insulation with a moisture barrier, which could lead to problems such as rot on critical beams.

The furnace was inspected when we bought the house, I think, but the paperwork was missing, which Paul said is a serious problem, too.  He urged us to have the furnace inspected as soon as possible.
Somewhat shaken, we emerged into the light and headed right on out to the ‘cold’ basement, the ancient root cellar which is under the ell of the house.

Topher recommended that, rather than run a space heater in the root cellar all winter, we re-wrap the pipes with heat tape and cover them with pipe insulation.  He says that would save us a considerable sum, and reduce our carbon footprint.  Also in the cold basement, one of the electric cords was uncovered, and we are not sure what it is to.  But we should find out and get a cover for it.

We came back in, had more tea, and discussed energy bills.  And then it was time for the Blower Test.
In order to do the blower, we had to turn off the furnace, so it did get a trifle chilly.  We covered Paco the Parrot, and the cats fled.  Chris had taken Rudie the Dog out with him, so she was not there, but nobody else was particularly happy with the process.

Paul built an aluminum-framed door with a large fan in it, and we placed it over the front door.  The fan, in theory, would pull the warmed air out, and anywhere we had leaks, it would pull cold air in from outside.

We never even got the amount of force that was considered the baseline, which I guess we should have anticipated.  While the blower was on, we found the leaks ... they were everywhere.  Around the windows, although, to their credit, not through the windows so much.  Around the electrical outlets.  Around the baseboards. 

After the ordeal, over yet another cup of tea, Topher outlined some of his conclusions and suggestions.  “In Maine,” he said, “they have a saying ... mind your boots and your hat.”  By this he meant we should pay particular attention to the roof and foundation.  The foundation ... in this case, our basements and attic ... require work before we can even begin to consider the exotic and much more fun things we want to do ... change our aging oil boiler for a heat pump system and add a solar domestic hot water system.

In terms of heating, for the short term, Paul, Topher, and Mike were on the same page.  “Get your chimneys lined and pointed for your woodstoves,” Mike said.  “You could do without oil altogether, and not worry about the chimney to the oil boiler at all.”

In the longer term, oil will still not be part of the equation.  We will consider a heat pump with 4 inch ducts and a high-speed system, or a good gravity system if we have dealt with the insulation and sealing problems throughout the house. 

But the first step, after correcting the dangerous situations in the basement, will be to seal the leaks and add insulation.  To seal, we need something called “Great Stuff”, and caulk.  We should expect to use a whole case of the stuff, Topher said.

We should also insulate our hot water heater now, as well as the pipes leading from it.  CMP has a bundle-up kit they will send for the asking, and on Monday, I asked.

Mike is recommending cellulose insulation, blown in, depending on what is already in the attic, or not.  If there is fiberglass there already, he recommends another product, which will fill the space around the fiberglass and compress it.  When the weather improves, we will have to remove the vinyl siding ... part of my goal anyway ... and insulate the walls from the outside, before replacing the siding with clapboards, in keeping with the historic nature of the house.  What we might find when we pull the siding off is a bit unnerving, but as Topher says, “There is nothing under that siding you DON’T want to know about.”

We knew that the energy audit was the first step toward making our home a green house, and also save us money and keep us warmer in the winter.  We also knew, or suspected, that there was going to be a lot to do.  It turns out there is more than we thought initially; but the house still has “good bones”, and is well worth doing the work to make it as energy efficient as possible. 

As the process unfolds, we will document it, so that anyone else planning updating an old house will have, at least, the benefit of our experience.