BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – Twenty-two homes will be warmer this winter because of a project by the Rockingham Energy Committee along with the Window Dressers nonprofit organization from Maine.
The staff of Window Dressers supplies, trains, and supports our local team of community volunteers as they put together affordable interior storm windows at our upcoming Community Build.
Each custom-fitted storm window is made of a pine frame wrapped in two layers of tightly-sealed, clear polyolefin film and finished with a compressible foam gasket. The foam allows enough give for the storm windows to be easily slid into place in the fall and removed in the spring, while holding firmly enough to provide a tight, friction-based seal that stops drafts and adds two more insulating air spaces between the living space of a home and its exterior.
The storm windows are durable and with care can be reused for up to 10 years. They are suitable for owner occupied or rental homes. Commercial, religious, and historic buildings often benefit from them as well.
Prices are kept exceptionally low through Window Dressers’ nonprofit model of cooperative production. This means that local customers and volunteers contribute time at our local Community Build in which the storm windows are assembled over a five-day period.
The Energy Committee is looking for more volunteers. No special skills are necessary and every job is taught on-site by our experienced volunteers. Clear protocols are followed to prevent the spread of Covid at the Community Build.
Volunteers for Window Dressers are typically motivated by wanting to help neighbors, environmental concerns, ethics of social and economic justice, a love of making things with their hands, and a desire to participate in a community effort producing concrete, meaningful results. Together, Window Dresser volunteers have built over 42,000 custom-made insulating storm windows since 2010 with between 25 to 35% given away to low-income families per year.
The Rockingham/Bellows Falls Community Build event is Nov. 17-21, 2021, with four-hour morning and afternoon shifts available. The event is at the St. Charles Parish Hall at 25 Cherry St. in Bellows Falls, Vt.
If you would like to volunteer, please go to www.SignUp.com and look for the Rockingham/Bellow Falls Community Build.
For more information, check out www.WindowDressers.org or call our local volunteer coordinator, Laurel Green at 802-275-4646.