Window Dressers - Warming Our Town One Window at at Time

Twenty-two homes will be warmer this winter because of a project by the Rockingham Energy Committee along with the Window Dressers non-profit 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 ten 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' non-profit 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/or 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., Bellows Falls, VT.

If you would like to volunteer please go to SignUp.com and look for the Rockingham/BF Community Build.

You can lend a hand to create storm windows that improve the warmth and comfort of homes in our community, lower heating costs, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions locally. It is a fun way to meet people and work together.

For more information check out WindowDressers.org or call our local volunteer coordinator, Laurel Green, 802-275-4646.

Photo: Steve and Nancy Detra working together to stretch film on an interior storm window recently in Brattleboro. Photo Courtesy: Peter Bergstrom.