Archive for the Blog Category

What are the Five Best Smart Thermostats?

Lifehacker recently put a call out to their readers to share their experiences using smart thermostats, and asked them to rank and review their favorites.  Which ones prevail and which ones fail?  Let’s find out: The clear winner for Lifehacker readers is the Nest Thermostat.  Sure, there

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Heat Pumps 101: 8 of The Most Common Questions About Heat Pumps Explained

Heat pumps are awesome – everyone says that right?  But they’re also kind of… magical?  Not really, of course.  But the technology that drives heat pumps is mysterious unless you’re an expert in physics AND heating and cooling.  And most literature on the Internet either wants you

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Troubleshooting 101: Your Boiler IQ!

Have you ever found yourself without heat on the coldest night of the year? Did you call a heating contractor for emergency after-hours service only to find out you were out of fuel or had accidentally cut the power supply? If so, don’t feel bad! This happens

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Switching to Pellets Reduces CO2 emissions by 90% & Saves 50% on Heating Costs

Switching to Pellets Reduces CO2 emissions by 90% & Saves 50% on Heating Costs

Studies show that switching from oil to wood pellets for home heating reduces your carbon footprint by 90% and saves 50% on heating costs. This is wonderful news for the more than 440,000 Maine and 350,000 New Hampshire residents heating with oil who are contributing to the

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Troubleshooting 101 : Your Boiler IQ

Troubleshooting 101 : Your Boiler IQ

Have you ever found yourself without heat on the coldest night of the year? Did you call a heating contractor for emergency after-hours service only to find out you were out of fuel or had accidentally cut the power supply? If so, don’t feel bad! This happens

Read more

Why Get Off Oil?

Why Get Off Oil?

Learn about the economic, social, environmental and political reasons to stop using fossil fuels to heat your home. There are many economic, social, environmental and political reasons to stop using fossil fuels to heat your home, but we think the simplest ones are the best: lowering your

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EPA Releases Analysis of Emissions from Biomass Fuel!

EPA Releases Analysis of Emissions from Biomass Fuel!

It’s a pretty great time to be a wood pellet here at True North!  Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency validated that emissions from sustainably sourced biomass (wood pellets and others) are “likely to have minimal or no net atmospheric contributions of biogenic CO2 emissions, or even

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Tips for Choosing A Heating Contractor

It was 10 degrees for much of the morning here in Portland today, which means that unless you enjoy a chilly home, your heating system got a workout last night.  Great!  That’s what it’s for!  But what if your system isn’t performing up to expectations, or –

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Lee’s Promise

I made some promises awhile back. I made a promise to myself to reduce the amount of fossil fuel I use. I did it because when I was in the Marine Corps in a faraway desert, I knew that I was helping to secure our country’s oil supply. I did it because I knew that […]

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