BANGOR – When Liz Perry and Leonard Smith renovated a room in their Birch Street home, they found a newspaper dated 1886.

The couple decided to try a more modern form of insulation this summer in an attempt to reduce their energy consumption and electricity and oil bills.

To help them determine where in the house they should start, Perry, 37, and Smith, 38, turned to the Penquis Home Performance program.

The Bangor-based community assistance organization has been doing home energy audits for low-income Mainers since 1993. This spring, it’s offering the service for the first time to all homeowners in Penobscot, Piscataquis and Knox counties for a fee.

Randy Bridges, division manager of Penquis’ housing department, on Saturday set up a blower door in the Birch Street house to measure the building’s tightness and to show how much outside air was leaking in. A large fan, surrounded by heavy plastic, was set up in the open front door to pull air out of houses.

Briggs also used a thermal imaging camera to locate insulation deficiencies in walls and floors.

Sen. Susan Collins came by to see the equipment in action.

Perry, Smith and their children moved into the home they believe was built around the turn of the 20th century, about seven years ago. They had the furnace replaced a couple of years ago but the house is not insulated.

The results of the audit, Briggs said, indicate that the first thing the couple should do is insulate the floor of their attic rather than tear out walls to put in insulation and wallboard.

“Most people,” Briggs said, “think they should replace their windows because that’s an obvious place for air leaks. That’s an expensive proposition. Sometimes, doing other things can help almost as much. Often homeowners see a payback in repairs in just a couple of years.”

The fee for the audit is between $250 and $500 based on the homeowners’ incomes. The report generated can help prioritize repair projects and indicate what tax credits might be available for making improvements.

For more information, call 973-3553 or visit www.penquis.org.

jharrison@bangordailynews.net

990-8207