Learn about home weatherization
at Town Offices Building open house
Want to lower your winter fuel bills, make your home more comfortable, AND get financial help to do so — up to $4,000?   
To learn how, drop by the Town Offices Building (TOB) at 31 School Street in Andover on Saturday, March 9, at any time between 10 AM and 2 PM, and talk with the folks who have brought the Weatherize Kearsarge project to town. (See ad elsewhere in this issue of The Beacon.)
On hand, then, will be members of the Andover Energy Group who are participating in an effort to help area homeowners learn more about weatherization and ways to get it done economically.  Participating towns, in addition to Andover, are New London, Newbury, Sutton, Warner and Wilmot.
Visitors to the TOB will be able to observe the improvements in heating, insulation and weather-sealing — the main components of weatherization — made there over the past two years.  They can also talk with local homeowners who have made similar improvements, and learn how to reduce the cost of weatherizing their own homes.

The Weatherize project teams up community volunteers with certified weatherization contractors to provide professional low-cost home energy audits, proposals, and quotes. An energy audit is a systematic analysis of energy use and energy consumption within a living space in order to identify, quantify and report on the opportunities for improved energy performance and comfort.
Kearsarge-area residents can request a $100 energy audit from Weatherize partner contractors any time until March 15.  And homes that meet certain requirements may be eligible for a rebate of up to $4,000 offered by NH Saves, a collaboration of New Hampshire’s electric and natural gas utilities.
Homeowners who sign weatherization contracts by May 31 will be entered into drawings for cash prizes up to $500 toward the cost of their energy improvements. Details about the program will be available at the TOB open house.  
The Weatherize Upper Valley Project was developed three years ago and continues to be guided by Vital Communities, a White River Junction-based nonprofit.  
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But wait — there’s more  
If you can’t make the Saturday, March 9, open house at the TOB, here are some other opportunities to learn about Weatherize:
**Drop by the Weatherize table at the annual meeting of the Andover School Board on Monday, March 4, between 6 and 7:30 PM. in the AE/MS gym.  
** Drop by the Weatherize table on Andover Town Meeting day, Tuesday, March 12, between 11 AM  and 5:30 PM in the AE/MS gym.
** Stop in at the Andover Public Library on Wed., March 6, between 6 and 8 PM, and talk to a Weatherize volunteer for help with the application process.
** Contact these members of the Andover Energy Group:  Susan Chase, srfchase@nullgmail.com or 735.5135; or Vicky Mishcon at vlmishcon@nullcomcast.net or 735.6402.
** Or why wait? Sign up and get started ANY TIME online at VitalCommunities.org/Weatherize.

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