On a rainy Saturday morning, the Brandon Town Hall was filled with over 80 experts, volunteers, and community members eager to share information about how area residents can easily make our homes more comfortable while also cutting energy costs.
The Brandon Energy Committee and SolarFest launched “Button Up Brandon” on November 12 to demonstrate how a relatively simple array of supplies and tools can produce immediate benefits and savings. The 90-minute session was fun and lively, with how-to presentations and several hands-on demonstrations where participants could ask questions and try their hands at installing different types of weatherization materials.
The event was made possible with funding from generous local contributors plus grants from the Climate Catalyst Innovation Fund of the Vermont Council on Rural Development and the Grass Roots Fund. Tim Guile’s beautiful piano music and the delicious homemade snacks made the gathering even more enjoyable for sharing questions and solutions.
Over 60 households registered for the event, receiving free materials for insulating windows and doors, including caulking, door sweeps, canned foam spray, weatherstripping, light switch and outlet gaskets, foam sections for wrapping hot water pipes, and plastic window insulating kits along with installation advice from Building Performance Institute certified trainer Joanne Coons and the Committee’s dedicated volunteers.
Expert advice was also provided by Melanie Paskevich from the NeighborWorks HEAT Squad, Bekah Kuster of Efficiency Vermont, and BROC Community Action’s Financial and Energy Coach Darrell Green. They each outlined free and discounted ways to make even more extensive building weatherization projects affordable.
If you’re interested in finding ways to button up your own home, email brandonenergycommittee@gmail.com to learn about future events being planned for homeowners, landlords and renters. Also, be sure to visit the swap site at the Brandon Transfer Station where surplus weatherization materials will be available for free to residents.
