Ductless Mini-Splits in Windham, Maine

Windham Homes and What They Need

Windham is the largest town of these five, with about 19,000 residents, and its housing reflects decades of steady growth. Census estimates put the median home at 1985; about 42 percent of homes predate 1980 and about 12 percent predate 1940, much of it in the old villages of South Windham, Windham Center and Windham Hill, while about 12 percent have been built since 2010. Roughly one in eleven housing units is held for seasonal or occasional use, clustered on the shores of Sebago Lake, Little Sebago Lake and Highland Lake, and the town's own planning documents note that many former camps are now year-round homes reached by old gravel roads. Those conversions are where the problems concentrate: uninsulated crawlspaces, supply lines run for summer use, undersized wiring and heat added room by room. Ductless mini-splits suit converted camps because they need no ductwork.

Heating and Cooling in Windham

Windham relies heavily on delivered fuel. Census estimates show fuel oil or kerosene in about 58 percent of occupied homes and bottled propane in about 21 percent, with electricity at about 10 percent and wood at about 5 percent. Maine Natural Gas is authorized to serve Windham, but utility gas reaches only about 4 percent of homes, mostly near its lines, so most households are buying oil or propane by the delivery. Being inland and away from the ocean's moderating effect, Windham sees colder winter nights than coastal Falmouth or Cape Elizabeth, and exposed lakefront homes take the wind off open water. That is a strong case for cold-climate heat pumps rated for sustained output well below zero, with the existing boiler or furnace kept for the coldest stretches; the same units cover summer cooling in homes that never had central air.

Getting to Know Windham