For Maine residents with drafty windows and high heating bills, WindowDressers is here to help. WindowDressers’ insulating window inserts fit inside existing windows to let in all the sunlight and views while keeping more heat inside the home. The inserts are high quality and low cost because they are built by volunteers and customer-participants at barn-raising-style community workshops.

While few people want to think about winter in August, summer is the best time to place an order, as the workshops have limited capacity and orders are taken first come-first served. Sign up at www.WindowDressers.org or by calling 207-596-2073.

For the Wiscasset area, contact Marty Fox at 882-8430, or email him at martythyle@hotmail.com or Violet Brandwein at vbrand13@aol.com

The Wiscasset workshop, for Lincoln County residents, is Oct. 21-24 at First Congregational Church of Wiscasset UCC.

Brandwein, who volunteered last year, said, “It is important to me to help my neighbors make it through Maine’s harsh winters and (it is) an opportunity to work together toward a common goal.”

Once participants sign up for inserts, trained volunteers schedule a time to measure their windows for the custom-built inserts. Between September and February, participants and other community volunteers gather to build the inserts at one of over 30 locations across Maine and Vermont. The construction process accommodates participants with a wide range of ability and mobility levels, making it an accessible and fun community event.