Rockland Public Library: Part 5

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Retrofitting the Rockland Public Library: In the Walls

Whether we’re working in a private home, the Knox County Courthouse, or the Rockland Public Library, we spend a lot of time in attics and basements.  Since they’re typically unfinished, they’re easy to access and offer a great return on investment, but they’re rarely the only areas in a building that need help.  We use infrared analysis to decide where to focus next, and un- or under-insulated walls often top the list.

That’s certainly true at the Library, where the attic and basement are mostly finished.  Now we’re spending our days in the beautiful reading rooms, quietly adding insulation to empty walls and sealing gaps that have let cold air in for a century.

The infrared image above shows just how leaky the reading room walls have been.  Infrared analysis highlights temperature differences, and you can see from the yellow lines that the room’s framing holds more heat than the empty (purple) wall cavities do.  The windows appear dark purple because they offer almost no insulating value and are coldest.

So what to do? There are several options when it comes to insulating walls.  Our first choice is to work from above, threading the insulation blower hose down into wall cavities from the attic.  If there’s no access from the attic, we cut into the walls and blow insulation directly into each wall cavity – from the outside if we can, from the inside if we can’t.

For the wall of the Library’s Middle Room, we worked from the attic to fill the long cavities on either side of the window, but that still left empty space beneath the windows.  We couldn’t go through the Library’s granite and brick exterior, so we moved the bookshelves and went in through the walls.

You can see from the patches where we drilled through the wall, first to blow the insulation and then to confirm that all the cavities were full.

 

 

Next up: Amazing Infrared Images from the Rockland Public Library

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Evergreen came out 2 years ago to do an assessment and insulate our roof. This year we had them come back and do the basement as well. They are hands-down the best crew we've ever hired to work on our house. They are experts at what they do, and super meticulous in their work. After working in our house for a week with blown insulation, there was no trace they were ever here. We've seen a huge decrease in our energy bills while at the same time the house has become way more comfortable. Can't recommend them enough.

RC Lations II

Portland

The Evergreen Team did a fabulous job and was very tuned and responsive to the particular needs we had. The job was done right on budget and we are thrilled with the improved warmth and energy efficiency.

Ira M.

Rockland

My husband and I bought a home on the water in Owls Head and decided to make the investment in Evergreen's recommendations for insulation. Brian Robinson spent 3 hours examining every nook and cranny before he made practical suggestions and explained them thoroughly to us.

Marie McNeely

Owls Head

In the final stages of selling our home, and with a closing date set, an inspection came across an unanticipated issue in our attic. We quickly called in contractors, but nobody was able to identify the source of the problem. Then we thought of Evergreen. Brian Robinson was on site the next morning and immediately identified the source (a faulty roofing job completed three years earlier which had effectively sealed up portions of the ridge vent and restricted air flow - not easily visible with a quick inspection).

Robin McIntosh

Camden

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Jennifer A

I waited a year to write this review. Evergreen finished our job late last winter. Terrific results!!! we've gone from 12-day propane deliveries to 30+ day propane deliveries. The house is noticeably warmer. The Evergreen crew was/is professional, prompt, thorough, scientific, gracious and immaculate with respect to keeping our house clean. Money well spent.

John E.

Boothbay

Evergreen was so helpful in securing us Efficiency Maine funding for a big attic insulation project early this winter. They did all of the paperwork, and totally guided us through a vermiculite removal process that included a payment from a trust for the procedure. I could instantly feel the second floor being so much warmer than before. The boiler does not kick on nearly as frequently since they completed the job. It was worth every penny! Brian Robinson was so thorough throughout the whole process including a full walk through after the job had been completed.

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Camden

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Clayton Eames

We just finished a large project of air sealing and reinsulating our 1890s basement and attic which had been completely renovated 8 years ago but still felt cold and lacked proper energy assessment and corrections. We met with Justin in December and were very impressed with his knowledge, professionalism and communication skills and knew Evergreen was who we wanted to work with. Dave was our on hands project manager and was excellent. The office staff has been quick to respond and helpful as well when needed.

Emily Gallant

We initially contacted Evergreen through Efficiency Maine for an energy audit, which was conducted promptly and professionally by Justin McEdward, one of their Energy Advisors who is BPI-certified. After a thorough inspection of our newly purchased home, Justin explained in great detail what we needed and did not need. It was agreed that Evergreen would remove all of the existing attic insulation, which was not adequate, and replace it with blown in cellulose, to a rating of R-60.

Thomas W.

Scarborough

Awesome company. It was a few years ago that they did the audit and then we commissioned them to do the work. We subsequently sold our house and moved to South Africa, but their level of service and expertise will live on.

Odette Brown

Highly recommended. Our heating usage is now less than half what it was before we had our roof insulated. Evergreen was knowledgeable, friendly, and left no trace they were ever in our house. Not only is our heating bill much lower now, but our home is generally more comfortable year-round with less temperature fluctuations. Money well spent.

RC Lations

Very Satisfied with the work performed by Evergreen. Professional employees, high quality work done in a timely manner. My sales rep was Justin, and he was phenomenal During the initial walk around my house, he gave me great ideas for how to improve the efficiency of our home. We will consult with Evergreen for our future home projects.

Adam G.

Westbrook

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Michael Williams

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Cliff R.

Islesboro

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