It was almost a decade ago when Rob Gardiner, owner of Damariscotta Hardware in Damariscotta, Maine, was approached by a local contractor to see if he would be interested in installing solar panels on the roof of his business.
Gardiner says he had already made efforts to cut back on his business costs of his Maine hardware store by installing a wood gasification boiler. From that, he was able to reduce the store’s heating oil consumption by 90 percent. He also replaced high-wattage lighting with more efficient fixtures.
