Explore the Fall 2026 issue
On the cover: A coastal home designed by Kaplan Thompson Architects designed to preserve—and celebrate—its natural setting. PHOTO: IRVIN SERRANO PHOTOGRAPHY
Editor’s Note
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INCREASES IN THE COST OF LIVING, Maine’s housing shortage, and the impacts of our changing climate are top of mind for many of us these days. These are complex challenges with wide-ranging effects that will take a multi-pronged approach to solve. Fortunately, there are many passionate and dedicated individuals and organizations here in Maine making great strides to address them.
Mainers have some of the highest energy bills in the country. For lower income families, this can represent up to 20% of total household income. So, efforts to reduce the cost to heat, cool and power our homes, particularly homes that are healthy to live in and financially accessible to average Mainers, hold great promise for helping us address our housing shortage and reduce the overall cost of living. One Maine company that has rolled up their sleeves to address the issue is Zero Energy Homes, a startup based in Hancock County with a goal to create affordable, high-performance, net-zero homes using 80% or more locally harvested and produced forest materials. Learn more in Affordable by design.
Another key aspect of the movement to create more sustainable homes is ensuring that realtors have the expertise to help buyers and sellers understand and navigate energy upgrades, associated market value, and financing for high-performance features. In Beyond the sale, we profile a local realtor who, along with a small group of her colleagues, has been leading the charge to ensure local agents are up to the task.
All of this works in theory. But if we don’t have the workforce to create sustainable homes, we will be limited in how effectively we can create the housing needed to address our shortage. Enter Maine’s pre-apprenticeship programs, a structured introduction to a variety of careers, including construction and clean energy, that teach basic skills, provide hands-on training and access to industry recognized credentials, and makes it possible for participants to explore new fields in a low barrier way. Learn more in Stepping stones to future employment.
Of course, this is just scratching the surface of the efforts underway to Maine. Foundational to these changes is a collective understanding of building science and how to create homes that are healthy for inhabitants, resilient to our changing climate, and efficient to operate, heat and cool. Mark your calendar to check out the statewide list of events that are taking place as part of Building Science Week, Nov. 2–8.
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Thank you for supporting our magazine with your subscriptions and gift subscriptions. If you like what you find here, please stay in touch by signing up for our monthly e-newsletter.
