MAINE MONITOR • December 21, 2025
Christine Callahan and her husband, John Callahan, hoped that a heat pump for their home in Waterville would reduce their heating costs, but the equipment turned out to be faulty. “We were freezing,” Christine Callahan said. “The pipes froze from the inside. That’s how cold it was.” The breakdown between the Callahans and their contractor prompted rare intervention on Efficiency Maine’s part. A second heat pump wasn’t perfect: Around New Year’s, it started shutting off after only a few hours of use, Christine Callahan said. The system’s air filter was clogged but it was replaced. Efficiency Maine made changes to restrict which houses are eligible for the mobile home rebate program based on their type of heating system. Efficiency Maine Executive Director Michael Stoddard said the agency can’t monitor every interaction between customer and contractor, but it can step in when needed.