Volunteers Build Window Inserts

Unloading Windows Inserts

Photographer Bryan Dalton

The Norwich Congregational Church will be buzzing with activity from November 10 to 16 as volunteers gather to build 200 insulating window inserts destined for local homes. By lowering heating bills and reducing CO2 emissions, the inserts will help 28 households achieve a lower carbon footprint while staying more comfortable over the winter.

Project coordinators are excited by the community response to this new building efficiency initiative which is co-sponsored by the Norwich Energy Committee and Sustainable Hanover. Requests for the window inserts have exceeded the project’s 2021 capacity. A waiting list has been created for 2022.

As important, more than 80 volunteers from Hanover, Norwich and other parts of the Upper Valley have signed up to help in a variety of ways, from assembling the frames, attaching the plastic, and applying foam to ensure a custom-fit, - to donating delicious homemade soups for volunteers to enjoy as a lunch break. Lunch will also include bread and cookies donated daily by King Arthur Flour.Coordinator Judy Payne emphasized that KAF deserves a “BIG, BIG thanks” for its generous donation.

A week before the event a few shifts remained open for a few more volunteers.  If interested in volunteering, please check for open shifts here. All volunteers must be COVID vaccinated and masked at the event.

Coordinators are grateful to the Norwich Congregational Church for hosting the project. Households receiving inserts must be located in Hanover or Norwich or located within 30 minutes’ drive and have a family member who works in our two towns. The project is set up by WindowDressers, a Maine non-profit that collaborates with local communities and addresses energy inequality by subsidizing inserts for qualified households. For more information see Windows Inserts or email sustainablehanovernh@gmail.com