RUMFORD – The River Valley Growth Council has entered into an agreement that could eventually result in the local production of super-insulated houses.
The RVGC board Wednesday night approved signing a memorandum of understanding with Keiser Industries of Oxford. That agreement allows Keiser the exclusive rights to work with the council on the possibility of producing such homes through October. Keiser Industries is a major producer of manufactured housing.
The idea of producing super-insulated homes from natural resources found in the River Valley is one of the long-term projects the council has been working on for more than two years.
The idea was first introduced by the council’s director, Scott Christiansen. Super-insulated houses have been created and used in the western part of the United States.
Super-insulated homes would be produced in a kit form for easy shipping and would have very high R-factors because they would be insulated with a thick blanket of straw. The frame and truss are being developed by the University of Maine to make use of the abundance of saplings and small trees growing in the state.
The council received a $10,000 Maine Technology Institute Seed grant two years ago to begin work on the building’s design.
Tentative plans are for the construction of a demonstration super-insulated home sometime this summer in one of the River Valley towns by the Dixfield Development Corp.
That non-profit will supply the site, foundation and utilities. The council received a $50,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture last summer for the remainder of the costs needed to built the model home.
A committee made up of two representatives from the Dixfield Development Corp., two from Keiser, and Christiansen, Diane Ray and Tony Carter from the growth council will oversee the building’s construction.
If the manufacture of such homes proves to be economically feasible, the council would become part owner of a company that produces such homes.
The seven-month partnership is not a guarantee that such homes will be produced in the River Valley, an industry that if successful could bring dozens of jobs to the area. It is instead a step toward reaching one of the long-term industrial development goals the council has determined must be done to change the economic base of the area.
Christiansen said Keiser Industries will now apply for a $10,000 Maine Technology Seed grant that would help in the further design of super-insulated homes.
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