Vermont Governor Phil Scott was in Burlington Thursday to announce a new energy efficiency incentive.
The Vermont Agencies of Natural Resources and Human Services and the Department of Public Service are partnering with Vermont Gas, Burlington Electric Department and Efficiency Vermont to offer an additional $500 incentive to income eligible Vermonters that undertake weatherization projects. Republican Governor Phil Scott called it an exciting initiative that will help low and moderate income Vermonters. “The energy we use in our homes and buildings accounts for 30-percent of all the energy we consume, which accounts for 24-percent of our greenhouse gas emissions. These costs can be a huge burden on budgets. Many families struggle to make major energy efficiency improvements because they simply can’t afford to do it all at once. Weatherization is a win-win-win scenario for Vermont families. It helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions, allows families to save money and makes homes more comfortable. With opportunities like this we can take action in a fiscally responsible way and reduce our carbon footprint.”
Burlington Electric Director of Energy Services Chris Burns says encouraging more people to weatherize homes is part of the city’s Net-zero goal. “When these beautiful buildings were built energy was pretty cheap and we didn’t really know much about how energy was lost in buildings. Now we’ve learned a tremendous amount and the strategic air sealing and added insulation is exactly the right step. For Burlington it’s part of our Net-Zero energy strategy. Reducing loads through weatherization is a cornerstone. We want to shrink the problem. Air sealing and insulation may not seem exciting but it is the most cost effective thing we all can do to our buildings.”
Governor Scott and officials from the state’s three energy efficiency utilities met at the home of Sally Ross, the first homeowner to participate in the new program. She recently had a free energy audit performed on her home and plans to upgrade her house to make it more energy efficient. “I’m really excited about this project. I knew my house was kind of cold. I knew my bills were high but I had no idea until Vermont Gas did a free energy audit how inefficient it was. So from top to bottom there’s a lot of work to be done. And what’s even more important to me is having less of a footprint. I’m concerned about climate change. I have children. Hopefully one day I’ll have grandchildren and I want the environment to be as good as it can get. So I feel like this is a way that I can do my small part in that and hope that others will follow suit.”
The new $500 incentive is available to Vermont households with incomes less than 120-percent of the area median income. It will be combined with existing programs. For example it would increase the Home Performance with Energy STAR program incentive from $2,000 to $2,500.
