From Mlongreene2 at aol.com Fri Feb 1 07:07:48 2008 From: Mlongreene2 at aol.com (Mlongreene2 at aol.com) Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2008 07:07:48 EST Subject: [Year-Round Housing] Meeting notice - Tues. Feb. 5 - 7PM Library Message-ID: Good morning All, Many issues have come up this week that need quick sorting out and I will prioritize them for Tuesdays meeting and get out an agenda later on. This article in todays Press Herald on "green standards" is timely to one of our planned topics. Best, Mark _<< back to story >>_ (http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=61109&ac=PHnws) State urged to set rules for new-home energy efficiency State House: Advocates say Maine is way behind on standards that would save owners cash and cut pollution. By JOHN RICHARDSON, Staff Writer February 1, 2008 Jack Milton/Staff Photographer Mark James of WarmTech Solutions sprays cellulose insulation into walls at Clearwater Bend, a housing project in Westbrook. Maine is the only New England state without mandatory energy-efficiency standards for new homes, but that may change soon as lawmakers take up two proposals aimed at reducing the financial and environmental costs of heating houses. One proposal was introduced Thursday in a report from several state agencies calling for the adoption of Maine's first statewide uniform building code together with energy-efficiency standards. The other is a bill that would establish minimum standards for insulation, energy-saving windows and other things, and provide tax incentives for new homes that are built to save even more energy. Environmentalists, and at least some home builders, are backing the effort. "We have a lot of builders out there who are still using insulation products that are substandard for the kind of homes we want to build today," said Ashley Richards, owner of construction and insulation businesses in Westbrook and vice president of the Homebuilders and Remodelers Association of Maine. Energy-efficient homes can save fuel and money the same way energy-efficient cars do, he said. "If you use a better product and install it properly, you will actually be putting money in your pocket," Richards said. "The rest of the country is 20 years ahead of Maine." Conservationists say the code would save homeowners money and reduce global warming pollution that is generated by burning oil, the heating fuel of choice in eight out of 10 Maine homes. "We believe that people deserve to know that their home meets some minimum standard," said Dylan Voorhees of the Natural Resources Council of Maine. With heating oil prices at near-record highs, advocates say the idea's time may finally have arrived. It has been proposed in past sessions, but "there just wasn't the momentum and attention to the issue," Voorhees said. It's unclear whether the idea will face any opposition this year. The Maine Municipal Association has objected to past efforts because of the cost and enforcement burden it could place on small towns. Most Maine towns have no building codes and no code enforcement officers. A lobbyist for the association could not be reached for an interview Thursday. The bill submitted to the Legislature this week would set up a system to train and register private inspectors. In towns with no code enforcement officers, builders could hire the private inspectors to certify that new homes meet the standards. Because there are no inspections now, it's unknown how many homes are built in Maine that do not meet the standards. "In southern Maine, probably very few developers are building them that would not be up to code, but it can happen," said Sen. Philip Bartlett, D-Gorham, sponsor of the bill. "We've certainly heard anecdotally that some (builders) are." The proposed standards are considered minimal and are not expected to make homes less affordable to buy. And, supporters say, they are sure to make some homes more affordable to live in. "Sometimes it can be done less expensively and the savings easily make up for any increased mortgage payment," Bartlett said. "This is not a high-end standard." Agencies that build affordable homes in Maine, including the Maine State Housing Authority and nonprofits, have made energy-efficient construction a major goal because it lowers housing costs over time. Clearwater Bend, an affordable-apartment complex that's under construction in Westbrook, is an example of housing that's already far more energy-efficient than would be required under the proposed standards, according to the builders. Bartlett's bill includes a state tax incentive for homes that go beyond the proposed standards and meet more stringent federal Energy Star efficiency guidelines. There already is a federal tax credit, but such homes are rarely built in Maine, compared with New Hampshire and others states, according to advocates. No hearing has been scheduled yet on Bartlett's bill. The proposal introduced Thursday is the product of a joint study by the State Planning Office and other state agencies, and is expected to become the basis of a separate bill. The proposal, which also includes a broader set of construction standards, does not include tax incentives for energy efficiency or third-party inspectors. It would impose energy-efficiency standards only on towns with at least 2,000 residents - those that already are required to have code enforcement officers. The proposal does call for a state program to train local inspectors to enforce the standards. The program would cost more than $200,000 a year. Any proposal that requires money through the state's General Fund is sure to be a tough sell this year. In this case, the money for training can be generated through fees or other revenue rather than from taxpayers, said Sue Inches, deputy commissioner of the State Planning Office. Staff Writer John Richardson can be contacted at 791-6324 or at: jrichardson at pressherald.com Copyright © 2008 Blethen Maine Newspapers _<< back to story >>_ (http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=61109&ac=PHnws) **************Start the year off right. 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Name: State urged to set rules for new-home energy efficiency.mht Type: application/octet-stream Size: 210260 bytes Desc: not available URL: From Mlongreene2 at aol.com Sat Feb 2 10:22:11 2008 From: Mlongreene2 at aol.com (Mlongreene2 at aol.com) Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2008 10:22:11 EST Subject: [Year-Round Housing] YRHC Meeting Agenda - Tues. Feb. 5 Message-ID: Hi All, Attached please find the minutes of last Tuesday's meeting; green standards (you only need to care about the first 7 pages); MISCA by laws (same - only the first 7 pages); new agenda. A lot of homework here! Mark **************Biggest Grammy Award surprises of all time on AOL Music. (http://music.aol.com/grammys/pictures/never-won-a-grammy?NCID=aolcmp003000000025 48) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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(http://music.aol.com/grammys/pictures/never-won-a-grammy?NCID=aolcmp003000000025 48) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: YRHC_2-5-08 Draft Minutes.doc Type: application/octet-stream Size: 84992 bytes Desc: not available URL: From Mlongreene2 at aol.com Sun Feb 24 07:52:53 2008 From: Mlongreene2 at aol.com (Mlongreene2 at aol.com) Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2008 07:52:53 EST Subject: [Year-Round Housing] YRHC Meeting Notice and Agenda - Tues. Feb. 26 Message-ID: Hello All, Attached is the agenda for Tues. Feb. 26 Meeting at the Library at 7PM. (Alden - could you send out the Draft proposed YRHCorp By-laws to all without the notations.). Mark **************Ideas to please picky eaters. Watch video on AOL Living. (http://living.aol.com/video/how-to-please-your-picky-eater/rachel-campos-duffy/ 2050827?NCID=aolcmp00300000002598) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: YRHC_2-5-08 Draft Minutes.doc Type: application/octet-stream Size: 84992 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: YRHC_Draft 1-29.doc Type: application/octet-stream Size: 84480 bytes Desc: not available URL: