Unity College to Host High Performance Building Seminar on March 31 at Waldo County Technical Center

Unity, Maine – March, 2007 –  A group of leading edge practitioners of high-performance building, renewable power generation and energy efficiency from across Maine will offer a day-long Inside / Out High-Performance Building Seminar on Saturday, March 31, at the Waldo County Technical Center, 1022 Waterville Road (Rt. 137), Waldo, Maine.

     The conference is co-sponsored by Unity College and the Newforest Institute of Brooks, Maine, a non-profit educational foundation dedicated to restoring the mutually sustaining relationship between people and the land.  It will be led by Unity College Instructor / Director of the Newforest Institute George Callas.

     Registration is $25 by March 26, $35 at the door.  For registration information call the Newforest Institute at (207) 722-3639, or visit www.newforestinstitute.org.

     The conference will offer private homeowners and building professionals alike a range of approaches to evaluating and improving energy efficiency in new or existing structures, along with providing an overview of larger energy-related concerns such as local fuel supplies and global climate change.

     Contractors will learn how to improve profits from the homes they build, while homeowners will learn how to mitigate climate change, promote energy security, and improve the energy efficiency of their homes while saving money on fuel costs.

     Topics covered will include air sealing and ventilation; alternative power off-grid and grid-intertie; builders’ round table; dynamic house systems; energy efficiency; financing opportunities; house modeling; insulated slab foundations; renewable heating systems; and super-insulation and weatherization.

     Conference registration will be held from 7:30 – 8:00 a.m., with light breakfast refreshments served.  The schedule of events begins at 8:00 a.m.

8:00 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.  

Welcome and Program Overview

8:15 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. 

Climate Change and the Economics of Home and Regional Energy Supply

9:00 – 10:00 a.m. 

Key Note address by Rick Karg of Maine Home Performance

10:00 – 10:15 a.m. 

Break

11:00 – 12:00

Efficiency Resources and Programs, featuring USDA Rural Development,

Camden National Bank, and others.

12:00 – 1:00

Lunch

1:00 -2:30 p.m.  

Break Out Session #1 including Builders’ Round Table, Matt O’Malia, EEN Architecture and Alan Gibson, Gibson Design / Builders; Super-Insulation, David Kaufman, Energy Solutions; Renewable Power Generation and Electrical Efficiency – I. Bill Behrens, Energyworks.

2:30 – 2:45 p.m. 

Break

2:45 – 4:15 p.m. 

Break Out Session # 2 -- Renewable heating Systems, Pat Coons, Energyworks Insulated Slab Foundations; Greg Roberts, Design Concept Homes; Air Barriers and Mechanical Ventilation, Tony Gill, Maine Housing; Renewable Power Generation and Electrical Efficiency – II; Bill Behrens, Energyworks and David Kaufman, Energy Solutions

4:15 – 4:30 p.m. 

Wrap-up

     Unity College is a small private college in rural Maine that provides dedicated, engaged students with a liberal arts education which emphasizes the environment and natural resources.  Unity College graduates are prepared to be environmental stewards, effective leaders, and responsible citizens through active learning experiences within a supportive community.