Home Performance Services in Standish, Maine
Standish is lake country — a town where a lot of seasonal cottages along Sebago Lake have been converted to year-round homes. Those conversions were rarely done with insulation in mind. Add in the 1970s Capes and Colonials that make up most of the non-lakefront stock, and you have a town full of homes that are expensive to heat and drafty in January. We work in Standish regularly, just 10 miles from our Westbrook shop.
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Converted Sebago Lake cottages often have no insulation in the floor system, walls, or roof — they were built for summer and never upgraded for winter. The 1970s Capes and Colonials throughout Standish typically have settled fiberglass batts and uninsulated basement rim joists. We address both: blown-in cellulose for attics and walls, spray foam for rim joists and crawlspaces.
Learn MoreMost Standish homes run on oil or propane — there's no natural gas out here. Ductless mini-splits are a natural fit for the 1970s ranches and Capes that make up the bulk of the town's housing stock. Cold-climate Mitsubishi systems handle Maine winters down to -13°F and give you air conditioning in summer for the first time.
Learn MoreLakefront cottages converted to year-round use often have no vapor barrier and no air sealing whatsoever — just framing exposed to the elements underneath. The 1970s and 80s homes on larger lots have bypasses at every ceiling penetration and an attic full of air leaks. We use blower door diagnostics to find every pathway before sealing.
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We understand Standish housing because we work here every week.
Sebago Lake-area cottages weren't designed for Maine winters. When they get converted to year-round homes, the heating bills can be shocking. We've done dozens of these: floor insulation, wall dense-pack, rim joist air sealing, and a heat pump to replace whatever electric or propane space heater was keeping the place barely livable in January.
The pitched-roof Capes and Colonials throughout Standish are susceptible to ice dams when the attic isn't properly insulated and sealed. Heat escapes through the ceiling, melts the snow on the roof, and the water refreezes at the cold eaves. The fix is air sealing and proper attic insulation, not heat cables on the roof.
We're a short drive out Route 25. Fast scheduling, no travel surcharges, and the same crew that works in Portland every day. Standish gets the same thorough, science-based approach as every other town we serve.
"We converted our Sebago Lake camp to year-round and were spending a fortune on propane. Horizon came out, did a full assessment, insulated the whole thing, and put in a heat pump. Our heating costs dropped by more than half."
"No more cold floors, no more drafts in the living room. The difference after insulation and air sealing was immediate and dramatic. I wish I had done this years ago. Horizon handled the Efficiency Maine rebate. I didn't have to do a thing."
"The crew was meticulous. They sealed every penetration before blowing in the insulation, explained exactly what they were doing, and left the attic cleaner than they found it. Our heating bill dropped noticeably the very first month."
A Standish family had converted their 1950s Sebago Lake cottage to year-round use a decade earlier. The propane bills were running $3,800/year and two bedrooms were unlivable in February. The floor system, walls, and attic had never been insulated for winter.
We insulated the floor system with spray foam, dense-packed the walls, brought the attic to R-49, and installed a two-zone cold-climate heat pump. Propane use dropped from 900 gallons to under 200 gallons per year. The house is now comfortable in every room through the coldest stretches.
As an Efficiency Maine registered vendor, we handle all the paperwork. Standish homeowners qualify for the same rebates as every Maine resident.
Practical guides for Standish homeowners considering heat pumps, lake-area home upgrades, or replacing an aging boiler. Standish is well within our regular service area.
Which approach fits a Standish home, including lake-area cottages.
How to think about replacing an oil boiler with a heat pump.
Pricing ranges for single-zone through whole-home systems.
Real performance data from Maine winters.
Our approach to insulating older Standish homes without damaging finishes.
What rebates Standish homeowners qualify for and how we handle the paperwork.
