From the Portland Press Herald

Written By: Tux Turkel

Formerly homeless residents have begun moving into the first shelter facility in Maine to get most of its heat and half its electricity from renewable energy sources.

Vinton Hall is an eight-unit building next to the York County Shelter in Alfred. The heavily insulated apartment house has solar panels that warm water and generate electricity. Much of the space heat comes from a high-efficiency wood boiler.

The building's nonprofit owner, York County Shelter Programs Inc., finds housing options for more than 600 homeless and low-income residents annually. It tapped a variety of grants and loans to finance the $800,000 project, calculating that the higher up-front capital costs for green construction would be offset over time by lower operating expenses.... read more here!