Although I do believe myself to be well-informed on some aspects of the big energy picture, I am not an "expert" and seriously question anyone who thinks they are. I know a fair bit about designing and building energy efficient homes, and it is there that I hope to focus my attention to provide some practical approaches to getting your home energy bills under control.  I also hope to get you, loyal and upstanding Coastal Journal readers, involved in picking topics, giving feedback (i.e. “You're an idiot”), or even writing columns yourselves. I hope to put what is very much a global issue into some sort of local perspective for Midcoast Maine.

STOP THE PRESSES!!!….. Before I go any further I just heard a very immediate example of the global/local connection, and it's not a pretty picture. Maine Public Radio recently aired a piece about many Mainers who are struggling to survive what has turned out to be a "good old fashioned Maine winter," while heating their homes with $3 per gallon oil. I remember seeing my first advertisement last fall for "winter heating loans" and thinking this could be a very long heating season, but the reality has come home to roost here in Maine, and the poor and elderly seem to be bearing the brunt of the troubles. There haven't been any reports yet of anyone dying of hypothermia from lack of home heat, but the effects are real and are hurting many of our fellow Mainers.

How would you like your family or your neighbors to be forced to make the choice between medicine, food, or winter clothes for your child and heating your home? It may be easy to forget from the comfort of our homes since we live in a relatively wealthy part of Maine, but our state ranks near the bottom of the barrel when it comes to average income and most other measures of affluence. The good news is there is LIHEAP, the heating assistance program, the bad new is that the funding is the same as last year when oil was $2 per gallon. The average household benefit available this year is 180 gallons of oil which, considering the average Maine home consumes 1000 gallons/year, is but a drop in the tank. It would be great to see that usage cut in half or more, and future columns will focus on just that, but for the moment my conscience is demanding more immediate action. If you feel so inclined, might I suggest the Keep ME Warm Fund where 100% your donation will go towards fuel for those who need it most. Any branch of TDBank North will happily accept your donation or call 1-800-393-7175. You can specify that your donation be used locally such as Midcoast Maine Community Action in Bath, or on a statewide effort. For more info, try www.mainecommunityaction.org.

To say the least, Energy is formidable topic. It permeates our lives from birth to the grave and is so universal to modern human experience that I would challenge you to think of a situation where you are not using any. I hope, that with your help, we can help put the global energy crisis into a local terms and present some viable and effective solutions to improve our lives and lessen our dependence on fossil fuels.  Some topics for the future might include retrofitting older homes for efficiency, solar hot water, electrical usage, etc.   Please contact me with your ideas at: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Al Heath was a carpenter/builder in the Bath area for 12 years.  Four years ago he and his wife designed and built a super-insulated, passive solar home with an active solar hot water system.  He now works as a Nurse Practitioner in the ER and Family Practice and has a part-time business consulting with builders and homeowners on energy efficiency practices.