Was it a party on a cold, late-morning Saturday? Kind of. Cars lined Summer Street up to Scott Samenfeld's house. Inside, the mood was focused but friendly, the stiffest drink was coffee and the attire was Modern Weekend Worker.

Thirty-one volunteers from a group called Arlington HEET (A-HEET) were there to help Samenfeld retain warmth, keep out drafts and save money. For four hours, members of the Arlington group caulked, sealed and installed insulation. The work was free; the home owner pays for the materials.

Bottom line: The work party cut air infiltration by 30 percent. That is expected to save Samenfeld 47 gallons of heating oil every year.

Jeremy Marin, who helped launch A-HEET last May, ran the numbers. For every 100 cubic feet per minute (CFM) that air flow is reduced, you save an estimated five gallons of oil. "We reduced air flow by 940 CFM," he wrote in an e-mail. That means a savings of about 940/100 = 9.4 x 5, or 47 gallons of oil saved.

Samenfeld couldn't say right off what he pays for oil, but the current state average now is $2.96 per gallon. That comes to $139.12 saved every year.

"We dramatically reduced the amount of energy the home will consume from here forward," Marin said. "We reduced the amount of money the homeowner will need to pay for energy, we reduced the amount of carbon dioxide that will be emitted due to energy consumption in the home, and we taught a lot of people how to do the work themselves that they will hopefully put to use in their own and other's homes."

This is A-HEET's third project, and several more are planned in the coming months. Each effort decreased air infiltration by an average of 21 percent.

A-HEET, an offshoot of the original HEET in Cambridge, was formed by a group of individuals who want to help homeowners cut their energy consumption, save them money, help the planet, and teach others the skills to weatherize homes so they can do it themselves.

People interested in A-HEET can contact Marin at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . His consulting firm is at www.MarinStrategies.com.