Upgrade Your Home's Energy Efficiency: Powerful New Tool Available

The New England Carbon Challenge, in partnership with UNH Cooperative Extension and the New Hampshire Sustainable Energy Association, has developed a comprehensive web tool---the Energy Project Connector that makes starting a home energy project much easier. It's free and available to the public.

How does it work? You submit information about your location, home-energy interests, and budget, and the Connector searches all the federal, state and utility incentives available to New Hampshire residents for a home energy job, then provides a list of companies, contractors, and energy auditors who can do that work within your geographic area.

The reported information is specific to you, based on the information you submit. The Energy Connector compresses hours of web research and investigation into a relatively simple exercise. Please spread the word!

Who are we missing?
If you know of contractors or auditors we've missed, please encourage them to sign up to be listed in our database.

Myenergyplan.net is made possible by the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission through the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Fund.

Late Blight Alert!

Disease confirmed in Maine, Massachusetts

Late blight, the fungal disease that devastated commercial and backyard-garden crops of tomatoes and potatoes throughout most of New England and the Mid-Atlantic states last summer has been confirmed on tomatoes in both Maine and Massachusetts on July 19.

Monitor crops closely for signs of blight

Extension Plant Health Specialist Cheryl Smith urges home gardeners to monitor crops diligently for signs of the disease.

She also suggests that home gardeners apply protective fungicides with the active ingredients of either chlorothalonil or copper. Biological controls usually not as effective, include products with the trade names Serenade, Sonata, Regalia, and Oxidate.  Oxidate, listed for organic production, may kill spores on contact, but it has no residual and thus is not very effective as a protectant.

Free lab diagnosis of suspected late-blight samples

"If you suspect late blight, remove some infected plant tissue (leaves, stems) and send it to the UNH Plant Diagnostic Clinic for diagnosis," says Smith. "There's no charge for late-blight diagnoses. Download the submittal formto send along with your sample, and write late blight confirmation at the top."

If the lab should confirm late blight, "Pull and destroy infected plants as soon as possible," says Smith. "Don't compost them! Any infected plants left in the garden or on the compost have the potential to infect other gardens and commercial farms."

Learn more

UNH Cooperative Extension late blight page Contains basic information, slide show of leaf infections, and more.

Beetles in Boston: What This Means for New Hampshire

The recent find of Asian longhorned beetles (ALB) near the famed Arnold Arboretum just outside Boston has entomologists and tree-lovers scrambling. The beetle was found on six trees, which were cut down and removed this week. Now the work of looking for more beetles begins.

Kills many hardwoods

ALB attacks and kills many hardwood trees including maple, elm, horsechestnut, ash, birch, poplar, willow and many more. The pest could significantly disrupt the forest ecosystem if it became established over a large area.

Stan Swier, a UNH Cooperative Extension entomology specialist, says the find is very serious, but he isn't panicking, "We don't know if the infestation is more widespread than the six trees. Hopefully, the infestation was caught early enough, but that will only be known by surveying the area."

In New Hampshire, the Forest Health Office of the N.H. Division of Forests and Lands regularly surveys for the beetle. New Hampshire residents are asked to be on the lookout for these beetles. You can find photos and a lot of other information on our ALB Web page.

Check your trees and even your swimming pools

The beetles are easiest to see when they are most active in late July through late August. Kyle Lombard, entomologist with the Forest Health office says, "We will be reminding New Hampshire residents to look for them in their trees and even in their swimming pools this July and August. We need as many people as possible looking for the beetle."

Full story....