Ductless Mini-Splits in Raymond, Maine

Raymond Homes and What They Need

Raymond's housing is shaped by water. More than a quarter of the town's area is lake, and Census estimates count about 1,050 of its roughly 3,100 housing units as seasonal or recreational, about a third of the total. Those camps and cottages line Jordan Bay on Sebago Lake, Panther Pond, Crescent Lake and Thomas Pond, alongside year-round homes in Raymond village, East Raymond and North Raymond. The stock is older than in inland neighbours such as Gray: the median year built is 1973, and nearly one in five units predates 1940. Almost all are detached single-family houses. Many camps were built for summer use, with crawlspaces, supply lines that are easy to freeze and little insulation, so turning one into a year-round home usually means rethinking both heat and plumbing that survives a Maine winter, along with a heat source that can run unattended while the house sits empty.

Heating and Cooling in Raymond

Oil is the main heating fuel in a little over half of Raymond's occupied homes, according to Census estimates, with propane at about 14 percent, electricity about 11 percent and wood about 6 percent. An unusually large share, around 11 percent, report some other fuel, and utility gas is under 2 percent; no natural gas main serves the town. Raymond sits well inland at roughly 270 feet, so winters bring the full inland Maine cold, and seasonal houses on the lakes face the particular problem of staying above freezing for months with nobody home. Heat pumps cover both seasons: a heat pump used for air conditioning in July can hold a camp at a safe temperature in January, especially when paired with a backup heat source and a remote temperature alarm that warns of a failure before the pipes freeze.

Getting to Know Raymond