By Pat Bradley
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-980282.mp3
Middlebury, VT – The High Meadows Fund in Middlebury commissioned three studies to determine if the state could meet its goal of making 25 percent of homes at least 25 percent more energy efficient by the year 2020. The reports - from the Vermont Law School's Institute for Energy and the Environment and the Regulatory Assistance Project, and case studies from Efficiency Vermont - found that while financing is an obstacle, it's not the primary reason the state is not meeting energy efficiency goals. High Meadows Fund Executive Director Gaye Symington.
NeighborWorks of Western Vermont Executive Director Ludy Biddle says people have been stubbornly resistant in installing home energy efficiency measures.
Efficiency Vermont was created 11 years ago as the country's first statewide energy efficiency utility. Energy, Finance and Development Manager Peter Adamczyk says they produced the case studies to show how typical Vermonters could save money and calculated the energy savings.
The reports indicate the typical homeowner could cut costs by 30 to 50 percent with changes like new windows and additional insulation.