House & Homefall3 Renovation Planning

3 Seating Options

3 Energy Efficiency

3 Fall-Friendly Projects

A special publicaton of The Addison Independent 3 October 3, 2013

PAGE 2C — Addison Independent, Thursday, October 3, 2013

Weybridge beats the Vt. home energy challenge

3 percent of homes weatherizedBy JOHNFLOWERS

WEYBRIDGE — Weybridge recently became the first community in the state to successfully meet the “Home Energy Challenge,” a statewide contest through which par-ticipating towns have been asked to weatherize 3 percent of their year-round homes

within calendar year 2013.Fran Putnam, leader of Weybridge’s

energy committee, confirmed on Sept. 23 that a 10th local home had just been weatherized, thus achieving the requi-site 3-percent mark required by the challenge. Putnam expects Weybridge will add to its total before the end of the year.

“We are sure there will be more than 10 (weatherized homes),” Putnam said.

“We are way ahead of the competition,” she added proudly.

Exceeding the 3-per-cent goal established by Efficiency Vermont and the Vermont Ener-gy and Climate Action Network should place Weybridge in good shape to win top prize in the compe-tition: A $10,000 award to invest in a municipal weatherization project of the town’s choice. The challenge was set as part of Vermont’s stated goal of weatherizing 80,000 homes by the year 2020.

“We are really excited to see Weybridge become the first town to meet the goal,” said Paul Markow-itz, community energy program co-ordinator for Efficiency Vermont. “It is a testament to Fran’s leader-ship and the work of a great group of volunteers.”

A total of 79 Vermont towns are participating in the Energy Chal-lenge. A check of the Home En-ergy Challenge Website reveals that Mount Holly, which has thus weatherized around half of the 15 homes on its 3-percent list

— is the next closest to meeting Wey-bridge’s success. It should be noted, however, that the Website has not been updated for a few weeks, meaning Mount Holly and the other communi-ties are likely further along than the list indicated last week.

In addition to Weybridge, nine other Addison County towns are participat-ing in the Home Energy Challenge. They are Bristol, Cornwall, Ferris-burgh, Goshen, Middlebury, Monkton, New Haven, Salisbury and Starksboro.

Weybridge will celebrate its ac-complishment at a community party set for Saturday, Oct. 5, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the town’s recycling center. Oct. 5 has been declared “Button Up Vermont Day” to reinforce the need to weatherize homes as a way of maxi-mizing residents’ heating fuel dollars and aiding the environment. Organiz-ers said they would offer free apple pie, donuts, cider, coffee and an LED bulb raffle. Free energy saving kit vouchers

will also be available. All are welcome.

The Weybridge energy committee identified prospec-tive weatherization candidates during 60 “home energy visits” that volunteers have conducted during the year. These visits have identified im-provements — rang-ing from installation

of energy efficient windows to adding insulation — that homeowners could make to reduce their heating fuel con-sumption by as much as 25 percent. Participating homeowners were put in touch with contractors (and potential rebates) to complete the work.

Pulp Mill Bridge Road residents Eric and Danielle Lamy are among the 10 Weybridge homeowners to have completed weatherization projects so far this year. Work included spraying foam insulation along the basement walls in the 120-year-old home, as well as sealing windows and base-boards, according to Eric Lamy.

It proved money well spent.“We were very excited to be part of

the program,” he said.More information about the Home

Energy Challenge can be found at ef-ficiencyvermont.com.

A “THER-MOM-ETER” ON the green in Weybridge shows the town’s progress toward meeting its goal of weather-izing 10 homes this year. The community was the first in Vermont to meet the Home En-ergy Chal-lenge goal of weath-erizing 3 percent of its housing stock in 2013.

Photo by John Meakin

3“We are really excited to see Weybridge become the first town to meet the goal. It is a testament to Fran’s leadership and the work of a great group of volunteers.”

— Paul Markowitz

Button up for comfort and to save moneyMIDDLEBURY — The Middle-

bury Energy Committee will host two events this month to help people learn about how to make their homes more comfortable by making them more energy efficient.

The committee — along with NeighborWorks of Western Ver-mont, Efficiency Vermont and Ver-mont Energy and Climate Action Network — will host Button Up Day this Saturday, Oct. 5, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. at Martin’s Hardware on Route 7 South in Middlebury. The com-mittee will have a table to educate homeowners on energy saving proj-ects and give away some free items from Efficiency Vermont and The HEAT Squad, a program of the non-

profit NeighborWorks. The committee also convinced

Martin’s to offer 10 percent off weatherization supplies.

Get free materials including an energy savings kit, win a free LED light bulb.

People may also register for the Weatherization Skillshop that will take place Oct. 26 in Middlebury.

This weatherization workshop, co-sponsored by Efficiency Vermont, will take place at the Patricia A. Hannaford Career Center off Charles Avenue in Middlebury from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Participants will get hands-on training in improving their home’s efficiency. They will also have the

opportunity to learn building science basics, how to find and seal trouble spots and practice installing rigid foam insulation, door weather strip-ping, and spray foam gun sealing in the attic and basement.

This prepares homeowners to participate in Efficiency Vermont’s Do-It-Yourself program that pro-vides financial incentives for owner-installed weatherization improve-ments.

The $25 registration fee includes lunch and a copy of “The Homeown-er’s Handbook to Energy Efficiency: A Guidebook to Big and Small Im-provements” by Krigger and Dorsi. To register, call 802-388-9478 or email lasermily@yahoo.com.

Planning projects pays offJust doing it can cost more moneyBy CHRISTY LYNN

When I set out to write this story my vision was to have two categories of home improvement strategies: “do it” and “plan it.”

In my original thinking, there are some home improvement projects that require careful consideration, months of

lazy hours spent considering all of the intricate details and hours consulting with experts before taking on the job, and then there were those projects where you’ve just got to “get ’er done.”

After my first couple of conversations with professionals and research sessions I realized that that

“get ’er done” column was pretty empty.

While there are many versions of planning processes all with varying commitments of time and resourc-es, it is hard to find an advocate for the quick and dirty approach to home renovation. After all, we call this “home improvement” … if it isn’t improving the quality of space, craft, material, or mood, then why do it?

As architect Andrea Murray ex-plained, “Nobody likes to spend

money — even if it’s not very much money — do-

ing something that they know they’ll want to redo.”

Murray, co-owner of Vermont Integrated

Architecture in Middlebury, says even when homeown-

ers are facing routine maintenance or fixing something that is broken and has to be fixed or re-

placed, those jobs can turn into opportunities to upgrade

their system. Furthermore, if you

skip the planning phase and jump straight into a

project, you may wind up sinking a lot more time and

money into the project than you had thought because you were unprepared or make a poor decision in the

middle of the project. (See Plan, Page 5C)

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Addison Independent, Thursday, October 3, 2013 — PAGE 3C

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Does your home needan insulation upgrade?

(StatePoint) — The average family spends more than $1,000 annually — nearly half a home’s total energy bill — on heating and cooling costs, according to the U.S. government’s Energy Star program. Unfortunately, a large portion of those expenses are wasted due to poor home insulation.

H o m e o w n e r s prepping for winter can stop the energy waste cycle by taking a closer look at their insulation. As one of the fastest and most cost-efficient ways to reduce energy waste and lower bills, insulation traps warm air inside a home’s walls — similar to how a fleece sweater does for the body — to regulate a home’s temperature. But how do you know if your home is properly insulated?

“Fortunately, there are telltale signs that can alert any homeowner that it’s time to add to or replace their home’s insulation — before the temperature plunges and the energy bill rises,” says Mike Benetti, segment manager at Roxul, a leading manufacturer of stone wool insulation.

Insulation experts advise homeowners with a do-it-yourself mentality to run through the following checklist to determine whether their home has adequate insulation:

1. Vintage home: Prior to consistent building codes, most homes built before 1980 were not insulated. If your home has no materials trapping heat, energy conservation is an uphill battle. Walls,

ceilings and floors are the most important areas to add insulation for an immediate, positive impact on a home’s energy usage and bills.

2. Non-stop furnace: Does your furnace seem to run non-stop in the winter? Adequate insulation leads to less maintenance on your heating system, as it lasts longer, runs less

and will require less maintenance for long-term cost savings.

3. T e m p e r a t u r e inconsistency: If you feel cold spots coming from the walls or attic, or one room of your home is drafty and another one warm, you may need to beef up your insulation. The fireplace, walls and attic are prime spots for drafts. Look for insulation that can fit snugly in rafters and other tight areas.

4. Roof hot spots: If your shingles are exposed after a recent

snowfall, chances are these “hot spots” are indicative of warm air escaping. Check your attic for adequate insulation. If you can easily see your floor joists, you should add more. Use insulation that won’t sag or lose density over time.

5. Mold Growth: Mold in the corners of ceilings could mean your current insulation slumps and holds moisture. If this occurs, it’s time to replace your insulation with one that does not store or transfer moisture and is completely resistant to mold, mildew, rot and bacterial growth.

Don’t let cool weather take you by surprise. With proper insulation, you can improve the comfort of your home significantly and enjoy

energy savings.

3“Fortunately, there are telltale signs that can alert any homeowner that it’s time to add to or replace their home’s insulation — before the temperature plunges and the energy bill rises.”

— Mike Benetti

Think ergonomically around the houseSeating options shouldn’t hurt youBy JOHN S. McCRIGHT

It’s the latest public health menace — sitting.

If you believe only a fraction of what you read in those stories teased on the news websites next to the important world and national news — the ones that say we’re all going to die because we sit too much at work — then when you get home from a hard day at the office you are li-able to curl up into a little ball in a dark room and wonder what dan-gers await in the chairs you sit on in your own home.

But the scariest thing about fur-nishing your home should be hear-ing the suggestion from your spouse or housemate that they want an or-ange plaid couch with teal and pink pillows on it, not wondering if your home furnishings will lead to an ear-ly death.

When you acquire things to sit on you just need to keep one thing in mind beyond color, style and price — that’s ergonomics.

The word “ergonomics” comes from the Greek work “ergon,” which means “work,” but now that scien-tists have been trying to figure out how to alleviate the physical stress-ors on our bodies in the office, some have turned to thinking about ways to make our home furniture fit our bodies better.

When you think about bringing ergonomics from the workplace into the home, one thing that probably comes to mind is those big, colorful balls that you can increasingly find office workers sitting on. Why not try one or two in your home?

We’re not suggesting that you get

rid of the those stylish wood and leather chairs around the dining ta-ble (though we’d love to see the look on the faces of your dinner guests when they arrive to find a rainbow of colorful balls around the old Ethan Allen instead of the usual Windsor

four-leggers) but using a sitting ball in your home would provide the same benefits as having one in the of-fice. They say one can improve balance and strengthen their “core” — the muscles in your back and stomach that support your spine and take some of the pres-sure off it.

To get the benefits of a sitting ball, however, you have to do what they call “active sit-ting,” which means not just slumping

over but actually keeping a de-cent posture. The ball gives your body better clues than a chair about when you are not get-

ting the most out of your sitting. The Health Ministry in the Canadian province of Alberta offers these sug-gestions for “active sitting” on a ball:

• Put your feet flat on the floor.• Sit as tall as you can.• Straighten your back.• Puff out your chest.• Pull in your chin slightly.• Push your shoulders down.• Move your shoulder blades

closer together.• Notice how your body feels.

Can you feel all the different muscles working?

OK, who wants to think that much when they are try-

ing to relax? The point is, there

are plenty

of times at home when you are sit-ting for a short time that you could be actively sitting and still accom-plish whatever it is you’re trying to do — talking on the phone, making a grocery list, watching TV, and the like. Plus, the more you practice sit-ting on a ball, the less you’ll have to think about it. Experts say you shouldn’t be sitting without getting up or moving, anyway; try sitting on the ball for no more than 20 minutes before you get up to take that loaf of bread out of the oven or rush off pick up a child at soccer practice.

And think how good that ball will look in your family room.

Wikihow.com offers a couple sug-gestions when trying to figure out the right size ball for your height and

(See Sitting, Page 5C)

3To get the benefits of a sitting ball, however, you have to do what they call “active sitting,” which means not just slumping over but actually keeping a decent posture.

A COUCH IS the centerpiece of many living rooms and family rooms, but homeowners should remember that what they sit on at home should be as ergonomically sound as what you sit on at work. Make sure your sofa isn’t too low. Have you thought of using a sitting ball at home?

Independent photos/Trent Campbell

PAGE 4C — Addison Independent, Thursday, October 3, 2013

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When our ‘home improvement’turned into a gut-and-rebuild

Projects that grow

Editor’s note: Polly Lynn was raised in Middlebury and graduated from Middlebury Union High School and Middlebury College. She moved away from Vermont for a number of years, but after she returned to the Green Mountain State two years ago, she and her partner, Jason, began looking for an affordable home that was near their work. They settled on a fixer-upper in Killington and found out just how big a job home improve-ment can be.By POLLY LYNN

It was in the spring of 2012 that Jason and I decided we were going to buy land in Killington — after searching for houses in our price range we decided that land and lo-cation was more important than having a dwelling. I can’t remem-ber the exact reasoning behind that decision, but I think we figured we had all summer to build one and that seemed ample time to me. In retro-spect, according to some, it would

have been shorter and cheaper, had we gone that route and built a home from scratch.

Instead, the land we found had an

existing house on it, which we im-mediately dubbed “Little Tiny” — a name that has stuck — because it was all of 700 square feet. I ignored the house and, instead, fell in love with the five acres of beautiful maple trees. We calculated that it was less than two miles to the closest chairlift and four miles to work, an ideal lo-cation. And our Bernese mountain dog puppy could run free. (Yes, I did take that into consideration during our house-hunt.)

After negotiations with the owners and a new septic sys-tem, we were ready to begin the work. I think it was August, by then — a much later start than we anticipated, but we had an existing house to live in, or so I thought.

As it turned out, Jason’s idea of a “livable dwell-ing” was a bit different than mine, and some things just had to be renovated before we moved in. So we made a list: We would focus on rehabbing the bedroom and building a closet (which required an ex-tension off the back), in addition to replacing the windows, walls and floors throughout the house and installing a

washer/dryer. The living room, kitchen and bathroom would “wait until ‘phase two.’”

In our idealistic minds, we had

planned to do all this work as a DIY (do it yourself) project, while working full-time. Since shop class at MUMS, I have not held a power tool, nor built anything use-ful. Jason had a lot of tools, but I wasn’t convinced he had any more skills using them than me. This should have been a bigger red flag than it seemed to us at the time. Reality was masked by my eagerness to learn. After all, this was Little Tiny, it had been a rental house for decades and it would be again someday (once we save up to build our “real house” up on the ledge with a better view). That is to say, I felt this was a good opportunity to “prac-tice” new construc-tion skills.

Our saving grac-es were Jason’s mom and dad, Richard and Louise, and my Uncle Mike, who moved to Killington for weeks at a time to help. Richard was well-versed in construction technique and had built a beautiful house for

himself in Montreal; Louise was also knowledgeable and great with details. And Uncle Mike was strong, worked long hours and had a pickup truck. Jason and I helped as much as

we could on weekends and after work, but wouldn’t have gotten far without them.

The first step was rent-ing a massive dumpster. We filled it in a cou-

ple days, and also made multiple trips to the Rutland Women’s Shelter,

where we donated all the old furniture and fixtures.

As we pulled up the rugs and peeled the paneling off the walls we found prob-lems.

There were carpenter ants in the insulation, no flooring under the tub (it was sitting directly on a main floor joist, which spilled water had rotted), the windows were

not framed and the electrical system wasn’t grounded. So, off came all the walls, the insulation, the wires, the windows and the rotten flooring and joist. Soon our house looked liked a shell, only the 2x4s and plywood re-mained. We had to jack up the house to fix the joist.

Then began the process of putting it all backed together.LITTLE TINY BEDROOM

Believe it or not, the 700-square-foot house had been rented for de-cades as a two-bedroom unit. Need-less to say, both were tiny spaces so we blew out the wall between them and installed French doors. That gave us the option of creating two separate spaces when guests visit. It is now a very large open space, which was further expanded with the addition of the large closet off the back.

We also chose two very large energy-efficient windows for the bedrooms. This choice was mostly due to rental regulations that require them to double as escape routes, but we also love the natural light.LITTLE TINY BATHROOM

The bathroom was supposed to be “phase two,” but when we found that

(See Polly and Jason, Page 13C)

In our idealistic minds, we had planned to do all this work as a DIY (do it yourself) project, while working full-time. Since shop class at MUMS, I have not held a power tool, nor built anything useful. Jason had a lot of tools, but I wasn’t convinced he had any more skills using them than me. This should have been a bigger red flag than it seemed to us at the time.

3

TACKLING A FEW upgrades in this 700-square-foot home seemed pretty do-able for Middlebury native Polly Lynn and her partner, Jason Mikula. But when they started to dig in, they had a few surprises.

POLLY AND JASON made up for some holes in their knowledge of construction techniques with a huge amount of enthusiasm. And check out the protective glasses — safety was clearly a concern.

Addison Independent, Thursday, October 3, 2013 — PAGE 5C

Plan(Continued from Page 2C)

A PLANNING PROCESSWith a new concession that every

project deserves at least some planning and preparation, it became my mission to figure out how to come up with a manageable process for how to do it.

Home improvement projects range from the small (repainting a room, choosing fixtures or appliances, or ordering new linens) to the very large (renovating an old home, insulating, rearranging rooms, replacing floors, etc.).

The fastest decisions to make are about those qualities of your home that you already love. For example, if you love your old, wide-board hardwood floors, but the finish is chipping and they need some attention, you don’t have to think about all of the other flooring options that you will enjoy less, just go ahead and sand and refinish the floors you love.

Routine upgrades such as repainting can offer a chance to confirm or change a decision you have made about material, color and feel. Experts such as interior designers, color consultants, or flooring specialists can help advise you on the material that works for you and your priorities (cost, environmental impact, style, or availability), but these decisions can be made with a relatively small amount of time and input from others.

These are what I would term “moderate planning” projects.

To get a little deeper into it, consider how efficient the system is. Remember, efficiency often refers to an energy rating when talking about home improvement projects, or how much energy is expended in order for the process to function (a high-efficiency washing machine is one that uses less energy and less water to clean your clothes).

Murray recommends starting the process with an energy audit. Supported programs through Efficiency Vermont make these audits very affordable (often less than $200) and a good investment for targeting the most problematic areas.

“The return on investment from an energy audit is very short,” Murray says. “It’s the due diligence before undertaking an active renovation to make sure that you’re targeting the right problem.”

In an audit, infrared cameras and smoke-filled air detect the under-insulated or leaking areas of the

one budget, one needs and wants (some refer to this as quality).

Builders and architects can help you understand the relationships between each of these points on the triangle and how best to balance them for your project.

“The reason people hire architects,” Murray said, “is to help pull these relationships into balance and apply our experience creating space to the needs and wants expressed in the project.

“Often we end up drawing what a client thinks they want and we draw what they’ve never thought of,” Murray said, explaining that their experience can offer alternatives that may be more interesting, creative, or efficient than what would be i m m e d i a t e l y apparent.

If the builder is part of the conversation, then they can also weigh in with a deeper understanding of the materials, prices, and labor constraints.

Also, while it can be difficult for some people to place themselves in the designer’s seat, don’t forget that it

is a critical part of the process to learn from you, the homeowner, what your ideals are for your home.

Murray’s advice to her clients for how to get the creative juices flowing is to look at pictures in home design books or start doing some playful research online. Fun and interactive tools like the web-based bulletin board Pinterest.com and other image organizing platforms like Houzz.com can be instrumental in the planning process and can help to organize the client’s desires in a visual way.

Have fun with this part, Murray says. Pull together pictures, ideas, images, or visions and put them together even if you don’t quite know how they could work for your house or why you like them.

“We spend a lot of time looking at precedents for each project,” said Sam Ostrow, another designer at Vermont Integrated Architecture, “and if those ideas can come from the client then our ability to start the project off on the right track is better.”

So, while the cool winds are gusting outside this winter, spend some time sitting in your home and collecting your thoughts about how it could be better. Look at books, search for clever ideas online, analyze others’ houses, and monitor the energy efficiency of your home. Use these insights to put together the beginnings of a home improvement plan, so when the time comes to start your projects, you’ll be prepared.

building envelope (the term used for all parts of the building that separate the outside from the inside — walls, windows, doors, and the like).

Once the audit is complete, homeowners essentially have a task list by order of importance, which helps the planning process by taking out much of the guesswork.

The next step is to put together a home improvement team.

“Collective wisdom is better than any one person’s individual voice,” Murray says, whose practice is centered around the idea of integrating design work with the building process from the beginning.

If builders and architects and any other design consultants can engage in the project together from the start of a project, they can each contribute their expertise and ultimately come up with the most thoughtful result, Murray explains.A MAGIC TRIANGLE

There is a simple building equation that can help the process move forward from there, she explains. Imagine an equilateral triangle with each tip representing a different part of the equation. One represents time,

(BPT) — As cooler weather descends, homes heat up and so does the risk your family could experience a home fire or carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. According to the National Fire Protection Association, most home fires and CO poisonings occur in the winter. Besides heating appliances, seasonal activities such as increased cooking, candle usage and holiday decorations all add to the risk. In fact, the U.S. Fire Administration reports that each year winter fires claim an average of 945 lives, injure 3,825 people and cause more than $1.7 billion in property loss.

To help keep your home worry free from fire and CO this winter, fire safety experts have developed a quick checklist. Answer these questions to customize your winter home improvement projects with tasks that save money, reduce a common household annoyance and increase safety.

One in four older homes needs to update fire safety equipment.

How old are your alarms?• Replace smoke alarms every

10 years and CO alarms every five to 10 years, based on the alarm model.

• Purchase an alarm with a 10-year sealed lithium battery to receive hassle-free protection for a decade — no need to change a battery or hear a low-battery chirp.

Seventy-five percent of homeowners don’t know where to install smoke alarms. Do you have enough?

• Fire experts recommend placing smoke alarms on every floor and inside/outside all bedrooms. Choose alarms with room-specific features, such as an LED light in the hallway, or a voice notification for the bedroom.

• Place a CO alarm near sleeping areas and on each floor. Keep them 10 feet away from fuel-burning appliances.

Do your alarms

incorporate the newest features and technology?

• A sealed-in 10-year lithium battery not only continuously powers the alarm, it’s also tamper-proof and can’t be removed.

• A digital display shows the level of CO in the air and updates the reading every 15 seconds.

• An intelligent multi-sensor responds faster to real fires and CO, while reducing nuisance alarms like those commonly caused by cooking.

• An end-of-life appliance warning lets you know when to replace your alarms.

Do you need other safety products?

• Fire extinguisher — place one within reach in rooms where fires often begin: kitchen, garage, bedroom, living area.

• Escape ladder — place in second- and third-floor rooms as an alternative escape route

Have you developed a family escape plan?

• Create a plan and practice regularly. Know two ways out of every room and who will assist children and loved ones with mobility/health issues.

Do your children know their address and how to dial 911?

• Post your home address and emergency phone numbers on the refrigerator.

Are your appliances and chimney winter-

ready?• Have a professional inspect fuel-burning

appliances to ensure they function

properly and that they vent outside.

• Have a professional clean or inspect fireplaces annually. Birds and

small animals can cause leaves to build up on top of the chimney,

preventing carbon monoxide from venting properly.

• Create a 3-foot clutter free zone around

fireplaces, space heaters or wood stoves.

As the cold arrives, get ready for the fire season

3“The reason people hire

architects is to help pull

these relationships into

balance and apply our

experience creating space

to the needs and wants

expressed in the project.

Often we end up drawing

what a client thinks they

want and we draw what

they’ve never thought

of.”— Andrea Murray, co-owner of

Vermont Integrated Architecture

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PAGE 6C — Addison Independent, Thursday, October 3, 2013

Sitting(Continued from Page 3C)

weight: “Measure your current chair and aim to have the diameter of the ball be about 4 inches higher than your current chair.” Not sure which chair to base your measurement on? Then go by weight. A person of aver-age weight and shorter than 5-foot-3 should go for a ball with a diameter of 55 cm (21.7 inches); if 5-3 to 6 feet choose one with a 65-cm (25.6-inch) diameter; taller than 6 feet should opt for 75 cm (29.5 inches).

Another way to make sure you choose the right size once you have the thing home is to sit at a table you might use, then bend your elbows and place your forearms at a 90 de-gree angle. Wikihow advises that “reaching forward slightly, you should be able to rest them on the top of the desk or table.” If you are too high or to low you could change the infla-tion of the ball a little, but you might just need a dif-ferent size ball.

A word of ad- vice: Don’t bounce or play on the ball too much (although a little fun is a good way to unwind at home); you’d hate to fall off your ball, strain something and then put all your efforts at active sitting back a few steps. OTHER HOME SEATING OPTIONS

Of course your home needs more than just big, colorful balls populat-ing the floor space, and you still want to chose seating that is ergonomi-cally copacetic. If you like the idea of a ball but want something where you can sit a little less actively, how about a good old bean bag?

Bean bag chairs were all the rage when I was a kid in the ’60s and early ’70s. But they’ve come a long way in terms of shape and style since then. In terms of color, you can find as many varieties as you can in a sitting ball — maybe more. And, in addition to the traditional spherical shape, there are oblong, disk and other shapes to choose from.

A blog called mebelkart.com calls a bean bag chair “by far, the best piece of ergonomic furniture you could ask for.” The reason, accord-ing to mebelkart, is that “the un-restricted freedom of motion they provide can help reduce strain on the muscles and joints that you may experience from sitting in a regular chair for long hours during work.”

It goes on to claim that bean bag chairs alleviate headaches, backaches, joint aches and mental tension. We couldn’t find any other sourcing that makes those claims. But ergonom-ics experts seem to all agree that reclining can be a great posi-tion to relieve stress on the back and feet.

A couch, of course, is great for reclin-ing. But remember that you will be sit-ting on it a lot and there are two things to keep in mind.

It is important for the sofa not to be too

low — that means that your knees shouldn’t bend less than 90 degrees when you’re sitting. According to Ergonmics-info.com, “Our bodies will naturally adjust to the ill-de-signed sofa, and slouch thus increas-ing our knee angle to greater than 90 degrees.” But slouching, while it provides temporary relief to your back, will over time put pressure on the discs in your spinal column, so don’t slouch for long stretches.

Another thing to think about, is that when you sink into a very soft sofa it feels good going down, but when you push off to get up it can strain your body. This is particularly true with elderly people, who can injure their hips when getting up from a very low sofa.

And how about that favorite of the 1970s — the reclining chair, the one that can adjust way back and pro-vides a foot rest. The popular models were the “La-Z-Boy” and

the “Barcalounger.” While some people may think they are ugly or at the very least an anach-ronism, they do allow you to sit in that all important reclining position.

A website called “The ErgoLab,” which considers all things ergonom-ic, gave the reclining chair a great endorsement when the blogger there admitted that he had been wrong about reclining chairs when he ini-tially dismissed them out of hand.

“I have to be honest, I hated those chairs. I thought they were ugly and unsightly. How humbling now, es-pecially given our ergonomics focus here at ErgoLab, to realize that La-Z-Boy and Barcalounger had it right all along,” the website state. “Hu-man factors experts agree that the most comfortable long-term body posture is the recline position.

Thinking about seating at home is about more than just design. Cornell University estimates that 50 percent of people in the industrialized world suffer some form of back complaint and many of these are related to poor seat design. How we sit and what we sit on affects the health of the spine.

But you shouldn’t freak out about ergonomics either. All experts agree: Human beings should sit some, but not for hours and hours at a time. That is true whether you’re on a ball, a bean bag or a recliner. Get up and walk across the room every 20 min-utes or so.

You know those scary stories on the Internet that tell us that even getting a little bit of exercise is not

enough to save us from the debilitating effects of sitting? Well, put them aside for a few

minutes, take yourself out-side and walk your dog

around the block. When you get

back you’ll have put some of that stress aside and will be able to

enjoy relaxing in that favorite chair of yours.

3A blog called

mebelkart.com

calls a bean bag

chair “by far,

the best piece

of ergonomic

furniture you could

ask for.”

Vermont ranks ninth in per capita solar energy installations

(See Solar ranking, Page 12C)

MONTPELIER — Environment America Research & Policy Center, in partnership locally with the Vermont Public Interest Re-search Group (VPIRG), recently released “Lighting the Way: What We Can Learn from America’s Top 12 Solar States,” a new report highlighting a solar energy boom

across the country. The report ranks Vermont ninth in the nation for per capita solar instal-lations. This makes Vermont one of a dozen states that have led the nation in solar energy with supportive policies and a commitment to continued expansion.

“More and more, homes and businesses

are turning to solar as a pollution-free energy source with no fuel costs,” said Ben Walsh, clean energy advocate with VPIRG. “With the increasing threat of global warming, we must maintain momentum and resist the temptation to sit back and coast. States like Vermont can show the way.”

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin joined VPIRG in praising the state’s progress, while calling for more work to be done.

“Vermont is putting solar power to work and is leading the way to a clean energy fu-ture that tackles the threat of climate change while growing jobs and the economy,”

Shumlin said. “We have more than doubled our solar energy in the last two and a half years, but we know our work is not done. We plan to keep Vermont at the forefront of this energy revolution.”

Solar is on the rise across the country. Ac-

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Addison Independent, Thursday, October 3, 2013 — PAGE 7C

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PAGE 8C — Addison Independent, Thursday, October 3, 2013

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Now that the crisp days of au-tumn are with us, winter won’t be far behind. To help Vermonters stay warm and lower their energy bills, Efficiency Vermont is offering the following tips:

1. Take control of the thermostat. You can save two to three percent in energy costs for every degree you lower your thermostat around the clock. Lowering the heat from 72 F to 65 F for eight hours per day can save you as much as 10 percent on annual heating costs. Try lowering the heat as everyone leaves for the day and just before going to bed. Or use a pro-grammable thermostat; it will automatically turn the heat down and then have the house warm for you when you need it.

2. Drafty windows? If you have functional windows, it makes more financial sense to im-prove them than to replace them with energy-effi-cient windows. Caulk any gaps and cracks around window frames. Be sure that windows are fully shut. Put up interior window plastic, available in kits at hardware stores. Use storm windows. Also, for drafty doors, use weather stripping and door sweeps.

3. Keep your furnace or boiler in shape. Oil-fired systems need annual maintenance. Gas sys-tems and heat pumps typically need a checkup ev-ery two years. And a new filter will go a long way toward maintaining the efficiency of your furnace and decreasing your energy bills.

4. Close dampers when you’re not using the fireplace. An open fireplace damper pulls warm air from the house, even when there is no fire. Close dampers after ashes have gone cold.

5. Let the heat reach you. Dust or vacuum ra-diators, baseboard heaters, and furnace duct open-ings often and keep them free of obstructions like furniture, carpets and drapes.

6. Keep cold out and warmth in. A typical house has many places where air can move be-tween living spaces and the attic and between the basement and outdoors. The result is colder rooms and higher heating bills. The solution is to seal gaps and then properly install insulation (see next two tips).

7. For the most savings, take a whole-house view with a pro. You can save up to 30 percent on your energy bills and improve your comfort

by working with a Home Per-formance with ENERGY STAR

contractor. These specially trained and certified contractors can perform an energy audit of your home and make recom-mended improvements, such as air sealing and insulation. Take advantage of financial incentives from Efficiency Vermont, when you complete energy efficiency improvements through one of these contractors. Learn more and find a contractor at www.ef-ficiencyvermont.com/homeper-formance.

8. Do-i t -yourse l fer? Learn to weatherize like a

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sealing, insulation, and more, under the guidance of a Home Performance with ENERGY STAR contractor. Visit www.ef-ficiencyvermont.com/diy for info on classes and everything else you need to know to start taking control of your energy costs this winter.

9. Save electricity on those dark winter nights. Replace your incandescent light bulbs with ENERGY STAR compact fluorescent light bulbs, which use up to 75 percent less energy, or ENERGY STAR LEDs (light-emitting diodes), which use even less energy and last longer. Also, be aware that many kinds of home electronics and office equipment use power even when off. You can control this ongoing energy waste by plugging devices into a power strip and turning it off when you’re not using the equipment. Or ask at your hardware store about an advanced power strip that automatically shuts off power to any idle equip-ment you want.

10. Look for the ENERGY STAR label. Whether you’re planning to purchase a new heat-ing system, appliances, or home electronics, look for the ENERGY STAR label to find the most en-ergy efficient models on the market.

Efficiency Vermont offers tipsfor lowering your energy bills

Addison Independent, Thursday, October 3, 2013 — PAGE 9C

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Addison Independent, Thursday, October 3, 2013 — PAGE 11C

Bringing an old Schoolhouse

Back to lifeMEMBERS OF THE Case Street Community Club off Route 116 in Middle-

bury got a hand sprucing up the place on Saturday from a group of Middle-bury College students who were volunteering as part of the United Way of Addison County’s Days of Caring. Clockwise from right, Jan Ethier tidies up the old schoolhouse, Carol Wood sweeps decades of dust from the old three-hole privy, Wood and Ethier are joined by their sister Ginny Welch in a final sweep, Middlebury College students apply a new coat to the old chalkboard and clean up the historic windows, among many other tasks. Wood, who is president of the club, was effusive in her thanks to the enthusiastic women.

Photos by Carol Wood and John McCright

PAGE 12C — Addison Independent, Thursday, October 3, 2013

Solar ranking(Continued from Page 6C)

cording to the “U.S. Solar Market Insight: 2012 Year-in-Review” report by the Solar Energy Industries Asso-ciation (SEIA) and GTM Research, America had more than three times as much solar capacity as it did in 2010, and more than 10 times as much as it did in 2007. To boot, SEIA also found that the price to install a solar system fell by 26 percent in 2012.

“The sky’s the limit on solar energy,” said Rob Sargent, Energy Program director for Environment America. “Vermont’s progress should make us con-fident that we can do much more. To create a clean energy future Vermonters need to continue building on the policies that are working.”

The report emphasizes that it is not availability of sunlight that makes states solar leaders, but the degree to which state and local governments have created effective public policy for the development of the solar industry.

Other states profiled in the report include Arizona, California, Colo-rado, Hawaii, Maryland, Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina and Massachusetts.

While these 12 states account for only 28 percent of the U.S. popula-tion, they make up 85 percent of the nation’s installed solar energy.

The report highlights the strong policies adopted by the top solar states that encouraged homeowners and businesses to “go solar.” Most notably:

• Eleven of the 12 have strong net metering policies, which allow customers to offset their electricity bills with onsite solar, and receive reliable and fair compensation for the excess electricity they provide to the grid. Vermont is widely rec-ognized as having some of the best net metering policies in the nation.

• Eleven of the 12 states have renewable electricity standards, re-quiring utilities to provide a mini-mum amount of their power from renewable sources; and nine of

them have solar carve-outs, which set specific targets for solar or other forms of clean onsite power.

• Ten of the 12 have strong state-wide interconnection policies. Inter-connection policies reduce the time

and hassle required for individuals and companies to connect solar energy systems to the grid.

• The majority of the states allow for creative financing op-tions such as third-party power purchase agreements and prop-erty assessed clean energy (PACE) fi-nancing.

The report also cited Vermont’s CLEAN Contracts or “Standard Offer” program, which has accounted for more than a third of the solar power built in the state to date.

In addition to covering what has worked so far, VPIRG highlighted several policy changes that would make going solar even easier and more affordable for Vermonters:

Requiring Vermont utilities to allow their customers to go solar, no matter how many already have. Under current law, once a utility has enough solar capacity to hit 4 per-cent of its peak electric demand, it can deny customers the right to go solar.

Streamlining permitting to make it easier to build community-scale systems above 150 kW in size.

Allowing larger community-scale systems to be built under the net metering law. Currently sys-tems larger than 500 kW are not al-lowed under net metering, despite the fact that many cities, towns and businesses in Vermont could ben-efit from building larger, even more cost-effective systems.

“Today we celebrate the solar success of our state, but we also recognize that we cannot lose the momentum we have,” concluded Walsh. “Solar is growing fast, and by building on our success and en-suring that all Vermonters continue to have the right to go renewable, we can make certain solar is a cor-nerstone in Vermont’s efforts to combat climate change.”

3“The sky’s the limit on solar energy. Vermont’s progress should make us confident that we can do much more. To create a clean energy future Vermonters need to continue building on the policies that are working.”

— Rob Sargent

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ADDISON COUNTY — Every year, as the gardening season winds down, the Middlebury Garden Club recognizes outstanding Addison County non-member gardens planned and planted with passersby in mind. They are gardens that can be seen from the roadside or street, and are a visual benefit to everyone driving or walking past.

This year the “Garden Excellence Awards judged in the interest of Civic Beautification” have been given to four local gardens.

Ann Kensek’s garden at 1370 Downingsville Road in Lincoln

Barbara Slater’s garden at 2234 Case St. in East Middlebury

Faith Terry’s garden at 15 Sheldon Lane in Middlebury

Middlebury Fitness garden by Ruth Barenbaum at 175 Wilson Road

Barbara Slater’s garden can be seen heading south on Route 116 on the east side of the road just past Dow Road and Carrara’s stone yard. Her garden flourishes with every color under the sun, and begins at the stonewall above the road. In May and June the south end of the house — an early season delight — is wrapped in purple flag iris, and along the top of the wall are yellow iris, purple lupine, and a variety of Pinks. The main beds on the north end of the house are packed with red, purple and pink poppies set off by bright early daisies. Later in the summer trellises are covered with bloom and her plentiful vegetable garden can also be seen at the back of the yard.

Ann Kensek has planted her long, colorful country-garden beds very close to the road, so there is no missing the show on the corner of Hall and Downingsville roads in Lincoln. In June and July they are filled with orange, red, and pink and California yellow poppies, wonderfully old-fashioned Sweet William, Foxglove, Astilbe, Oenothera and Coreopsis and Campanula (Canterbury Bells). The end of summer display is a sea of pink and purple Rudbeckia, white Flox, Sunflowers, and Monarda. If you see her working in her beds and stop by, she might give you a clump something, as she is a very generous gardener, and is always moving things around.

You may have noticed that a lot of work has been going on in the front and side gardens on the corner of Painter Road and Sheldon Lane in Mid-dlebury. Although Faith Terry will tell you it is a work in progress — there is now something wonderful to look at in all seasons: Her judiciously curat-ed new beds now include: Perennial gigantic Hibiscus, assorted Fountain Grasses, Lupines, Daylilies, Coreopsis, Tansy, Huchera, Lily-of-the-Valley and assorted Hydrangea have been set amidst an expanse of specimen Fat Albert Spruce, Hinoki Cypress, Columnar Cedar, Spirea, Cranberry Bush, and Smokebush. You will also see Climbing roses, English ivy, Painted Ferns, Siberian iris, Ajuga, Poppies, Allium, Festuca, Lavendars, and Lungwort. Bamboo is at the bottom of the gully to the east.

Ruth Barenbaum, the Tai Chi for Seniors instructor at Middlebury Fit-ness on Wilson Road in Middlebury, is quick to point out that the garden planted at Middlebury Fitness has been a group effort by many. Bob Fal-ter, co-owner of Middlebury Fitness has generously given them a beauti-ful space to have their classes, so they offered to plant a new garden for him this summer around a large rock at the entrance to the building. They planted concentric circles of Chrysanthemums, Hostas, early and late Irises, Lupines, Bleeding Heart, Coreopsis, and Leadwort from their own gardens, surrounded them by a large outer circle of Zinnias, Marigolds, Poppies and Daisies. In the fall, they will plant re-plant hundreds of Bob’s Daffodils. Ruth says that while tending the garden, she and her Tai Chi practitioners have had wonderful “garden talk” encounters.

Addison Independent, Thursday, October 3, 2013 — PAGE 13C

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the tub was sitting directly on the rot-ting floor joist, it had to be removed. Major renovations were required to render it back to functional. The original house had matching blue porcelain shower tiles, sink and toi-let, with rusting fixtures. Everything went into the dumpster.

We had the shower custom-tiled along with the floor, in order to use as much space as possible. We did not do this ourselves, despite my de-sire to learn to tile. The shower pan and natural tiles we chose were com-plicating factors, in addition to not having time or a mentor to teach me. Instead, our sub-contractor, Jason Allen, who we brought on to help us complete the work before snowfall, recommended plumber Pat Mat-thews. As it turns out, Matthews has great skill working tile and grout and doesn’t charge much for his tile work (which is one of the reasons he prefers to be known as a plumb-er). We gave him a challenge choosing natural stone, and al-though he grumbled, he worked quickly and the end result was masterful. We had him do our kitchen and fire-place tiling, too — and our plumbing.LITTLE TINY KITCHEN

The kitchen was also on the “phase two” list, but replacing the floors, walls and windows, ulti-mately led to it being done all at once. Ultimately, I’m glad it happened that way. Although our debts are now higher than I like, my stress is lower with-out having to live through another season of construction.

Originally, a large wooden picnic table took up most of the kitchen space. We transferred that outside to the deck, and then to the burn pile.

We then had Jason Allen build us a custom bar under the large front window where we could sit and have coffee. We replaced the refrigerator, stove, microwave, sink and counter tops and I painted the cabinets solid white.

These changes completely trans-

formed the room, although the lay-out is mostly the same.LITTLE TINY FLOORING

There was a hodge-podge of vari-ous flooring layers throughout the house (old industrial-style rugs, li-noleum and slate) before we ripped them all out and bleached the ply-wood. We considered various floor-ing options for living room and bedroom, bathroom and kitchen, but ultimately decided we wanted maple and tile respectively. They turned out to be expensive choices!

To buy maple flooring from a lum-beryard was out of the question, so we found a rough pile in the attic of a man we met at the Addison County Fair and Field Days, and he sold it to us for cheap. We went back to him twice begging for more boards to complete the project. Rough boards, we learned,

are far from being ready for flooring. They re-quire planing, edging, sanding and staining — which equates to a lot of work.

Once they were ready, we stacked them in the kitchen for Jason Allen, who laid them down in a non-traditional pat-tern that we loved. Uncle Mike then spent days sanding and staining the boards.THIS SPRING

With all the in-terior construc-tion complete, we looked forward to a spring/summer

of “touch ups,” landscap-ing and gardening — the fun small projects that we could complete over a weekend, right? More opportuni-ties for me to learn and “practice” my homemaking skills.

I think it will be some years be-fore we undertake building our “real house” on the hill. Besides obstacles of money and time, we really enjoy living in our remodeled Little Tiny home.

There is one more project: Next spring, I’m tapping a few of those maple trees.

Polly Lynn is editor and co-pub-lisher of the Mountain Times in Kil-lington.

Polly and Jason(Continued from Page 4C)

3The kitchen was also on

the “phase two” list,

but replacing the floors,

walls and windows,

ultimately led to it

being done all at once.

Ultimately, I’m glad it

happened that way.

Although our debts

are now higher than I

like, my stress is lower

without having to live

through another season

of construction.

(StatePoint) — Keeping your home in shape may not top your daily to-do list, but completing certain small seasonal tasks can save you money, time and the need to complete larger, more expensive projects in the future.

“Investing a small amount for preventative fall home maintenance can save thousands in the long run,” Leah Ingram, personal finance expert, says.

Don’t know where to start? The following checklist can help homeowners prepare their homes for the cooler months:

• Clean gutters: During the year, debris such as leaves and twigs can pile in your gutter. Cleaning them once a year prevents problems such as water damage, roof damage and flooding.

• Service your furnace: A well-maintained furnace can help save on heating costs and prevent the need for repairs. Before temperatures drop, schedule your furnace to be serviced.

• Install weather stripping: As fuel and electricity costs continue to rise, keeping your home warm without wasting money and energy is important. Weather stripping your doors and windows can make a big impact.

• Winterize sprinklers: Removing all the water that’s in the lines, pipes, fittings, valves, sprinklers and pumps will prevent your equipment from freezing, expanding and potentially breaking. Hire a professional to attach an air compressor to the system to blow out the water from the lines, pipes and other parts. The service is inexpensive and a professional will know the proper amount of volume and pressure to use to ensure no water is left in the system.

• Clean your chimney: Chimney maintenance is not optional. Deadly fires, carbon monoxide poisoning and expensive chimney repairs are serious consequences associated with neglected chimney maintenance. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends all fireplaces, chimneys, flues and venting systems be inspected at least once a year by a pro.

Top tasksto readyyour housefor winter

A CUSTOM BAR under the kitchen window provided the perfect place to sit and have coffee. New appli-ances and counter tops were accented by a coat of white paint on the cabinets.

POLLY AND JASON took out the wall between two tiny bedrooms and then installed French doors so they could create two separate spaces when guests visit.

PAGE 14C — Addison Independent, Thursday, October 3, 2013

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