The cordless drill and the drywall screw started a building revolution that is still going on today. more

Last week, I came across a blurb online about a fellow in Massachusetts who is retrofitting a duplex in Arlington with 3 inches of foam on the exterior of his home. more

Radiant floor heating is the “gotta have it” heating technology of the 21st century. The concept dates back to Roman times and made a resurgence after World War II in many tract houses. more

It seems to be a good time to talk about some things that are confusing about home heating. more

We are blessed in so many ways to live in Maine. Sure, taxes are high and heating costs might be high (if you are not properly insulated), but there are all those other good things to be thankful … more

Aside from northern Maine and all the ski areas, we so far have lucked out of any real snow this year. Of course, that is subject to change, real soon. We then get to practice nature’s aerobics … more

The incandescent light, invented by Thomas Edison more than 100 years ago, has not been in great favor lately. Amory Lovins, the self-anointed energy guru, has dissed incandescents for years, stating that we can eliminate a lot of power plants if we all use compact fluorescents in their place. Well-meaning municipal, state and federal programs offer major discounts for compact fluorescents or have even given compact fluorescents away for free. more

We spend a lot of time redoing old house exteriors here in Maine. Up to 50 years ago, most homes used some sort of wood siding in our climate. I cannot think of a more resilient material that is fun … more

The big thing we get asked about all winter long is ice dams. Let’s stop them early this year. Most ice dams are caused by insulation problems in the roof. OK, next question! Well, all right, … more

Autumn is the time that I start to think about finishing up outdoor projects and get my head into working indoors. Now that we are starting to use heat, I always start by tearing into my heating … more

We have had our first hard frost. We are now officially starting to heat our homes. We have already traversed 6 percent of the heating season. We know that because the Bangor Daily News tracks … more

My kids joke a lot about the tools I have. I was working on my daughter’s house a couple of years ago. She and her friends joked about how many saws I had there at any given time. They were mostly … more

Many of the tools we use today are cordless. What a revolution we have lived through over the past 20 years regarding these tools. more

Every year, once Labor Day hits, we all get serious about winter. Of course, everyone and anyone involved in heating or energy is right out straight this year. This is especially true with energy … more

There are some things that are trade secrets that people use in their day-to-day life and business. Mine is physics. Not the Albert Einstein, E=mc2 type of theoretical, lots-of-math-and-calculus … more

Let’s review the obvious. Since it is getting cooler way too soon at night, I thought I should talk about some ways to save money when heating with oil. more

Do you know about Japanese knotweed? It is an invasive species that grows on disturbed soils. Many Mainers call it bamboo. more

I love cars. They are fun to drive and play with and I have had a lot of them. I suppose it is some sort of middle-aged adolescent thing, but there are so many different ones to try. I also am cheap. … more

Ever since oil has skyrocketed in price, energy experts have struggled to keep up to date with advice for cost-effective choices for heating. more

Before we start, let me correct an error I made in my column two weeks ago. I completely made up the Web address for Solar Rating and Certification Corp., or SRCC, from some nether part of my brain. The correct Web address is http://www.solar-rating.org/. more