Home Energy Visits: Sign-Up Now!

Are you interested in saving energy in your home?


Trained volunteers in fourteen Rutland County towns are ready to help you save money by saving energy. A volunteer pair from your community will come to your home, calculate your home heating usage, provide information and special incentives to further reduce energy use, and install free energy-saving light bulbs and other energy-saving products. Volunteers are part of the Vermont Community Energy Mobilization Project, and are trained by Efficiency Vermont. Please note: The home energy visit is not a home energy audit, but it will help identify homes that are good candidates for a professional energy audit and comprehensive home improvements through a certified Vermont Weatherization or Home Performance with ENERGY STAR contractor.


Home energy visits will take place in March and April, and the program limited to a first-come, first serve basis. Interested? Please call Philip Picotte at 775-0871 ext 205, or email rutlandenergyvisits@gmail.com to sign up for a home energy visit.

Energy Volunteer Training in Rutland on Tuesday, February 16

Additional Training Added: February 16 at Rutland Regional Medical Center!

Do you want to help your neighbors save money while also saving energy?

The Rutland Regional Planning Commission, in conjunction with Efficiency Vermont, will offer a training session for volunteers interested in the countywide Vermont Community Energy Mobilization Project.

Volunteers will be trained to conduct free home energy visits designed to help homeowners learn about energy-saving opportunities. They will install compact fluorescent light bulbs and water-saving devices as well as provide more information and special incentives to save more energy. The home energy visit identifies homes that would be good candidates for a professional energy audit and comprehensive energy efficiency home improvements through a certified Vermont Weatherization or Home Performance with an ENERGY STAR contractor.

A volunteer training session will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, February 16, in the Leahy Education Center at Rutland Regional Medical Center.

Refreshments will be served. Call Philip Picotte at (802) 775-0871, ext. 205, for more information.

Home visits will be coordinated in 16 Rutland County communities: Benson, Brandon, Castleton, Danby, Fair Haven, Killington, Mendon, Middletown Springs, Pittsford, Poultney, Rutland City, Rutland Town, Shrewsbury, Tinmouth, Wallingford, West Haven, and West Rutland. Volunteers from other towns are always welcome.

Energy Volunteer Training in Poultney on Thursday, January 28

Do you want to help your neighbors save money while also saving energy?

The Rutland Regional Planning Commission, in conjunction with Efficiency Vermont, will offer a training session for volunteers interested in the countywide Vermont Community Energy Mobilization Project.

Volunteers will be trained to conduct free home energy visits designed to help homeowners learn about energy-saving opportunities. They will install compact fluorescent light bulbs and water-saving devices as well as provide more information and special incentives to save more energy. The home energy visit identifies homes that would be good candidates for a professional energy audit and comprehensive energy efficiency home improvements through a certified Vermont Weatherization or Home Performance with an ENERGY STAR contractor.

A volunteer training session will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. on January 28 in the East Room at Green Mountain College’s Withey Student Center.

Call Susan Schreibman at (802) 775-0871, ext. 204, for more information.

Home visits will be coordinated in 15 Rutland County communities: Benson, Brandon, Castleton, Danby, Fair Haven, Killington, Mendon, Pittsford, Poultney, Rutland City, Rutland Town, Shrewsbury, Tinmouth, Wallingford, West Haven, and West Rutland. Volunteers from other towns are always welcome.

Vermont Community Energy Mobilization Project

Efficiency Vermont is seeking applications from town energy committees, municipalities, regional planning commissions, and other entities to implement the Vermont Community Energy Mobilization Project (VCEM) Project in 2010. The VCEM project is based on the premise that local energy committees and other local community groups offer great promise for helping Vermont increase energy efficiency in residential buildings.

VCEM is an intensive four-month community-based effort designed to achieve quantifiable reductions in home energy use, stimulate an increase in the number of comprehensive energy retrofits, and increase awareness and understanding by Vermonters of home energy savings opportunities and resources. VCEM relies on community volunteers to conduct “home energy visits” to install energy saving products, conduct walk-through home energy assessments, and confer with property owners about energy saving opportunities in their homes.

Efficiency Vermont has established a statewide goal under the VCEM Project of achieving 100 comprehensive energy efficiency retrofits through the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® program in 2010.

For more information please visit: www.efficiencyvermont.com/homeperformance.

The Rutland Regional Planning Commission will work with any interested communities to form a consortium .

Applications are due by November 23rd, 2009.

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Funding

On October 19, the Department of Energy released its funding announcement for the competitive grant section of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (ECGB) Program. The funding is broken into two sections: Topic 1, the Retrofit Ramp-Up Program and Topic 2, the General Innovation Fund.

The Retrofit Ramp-Up Program provides up to $390 million for eight to 20 project awards funded at $5 to $75 million each. Both eligible and non-eligible counties (under the EECBG funding formula) are eligible to apply. According to grant guidance, DOE is specifically targeting these funds for high-impact awards that will enable large-scale programs of ongoing energy efficiency retrofits on residential, commercial, industrial and public buildings in geographically focused areas.
The General Innovation Fund provides up to $63.68 million for projects of $1 -$5 million for 15-60 awards. The General Innovation Fund is limited to local governments that were not eligible to receive direct EECBG funding allocations through the EECBG formula grants. No recipient cost share is required for General Innovation Fund awards.

DOE highlights the following activities as eligible activities for funding:
Building Energy Audits
Financial Incentive Programs for Energy Efficiency Improvements
Energy Efficiency Retrofits
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Programs for Buildings and Facilities
Development and Implementation of Transportation Programs to Conserve Energy
Building Codes and Enforcement
Energy Distribution Technologies for Energy Efficiency
Material Conservation Programs including source reduction, recycling and recycled content procurement programs
Reduction and Capture of Methane and Greenhouse Gases
Replacement of Traffic Signals and Street Lighting with Energy Efficient Technologies

Applications for both programs are due December 14, 2009.

Recovery Through Retrofit

Recovery Through Retrofit is a blueprint that will create good green jobs - jobs that can't be outsourced, and jobs that will be the cornerstones of a 21st-Century economy," said Vice President Biden."And, thanks to the Recovery Act's unprecedented investments in energy efficiency, we are making it easier for American families to retrofit their homes - helping them save money while reducing carbon emissions and creating a healthier environment for our families."

"This report builds on the foundation laid in the Recovery Act to expand green job and business opportunities for the middle class while ensuring that the energy efficiency market will thrive for years to come," said Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality."An aggressive program to retrofit American homes and businesses will create more work, more savings, and better health for middle class Americans."

Existing techniques and technologies in energy efficiency retrofitting can reduce energy use by up to 40 percent per home and lower total associated greenhouse gas emissions by up to 160 million metric tons annually. Retrofitting existing homes also has the potential to cut home energy bills by $21 billion annually. Yet, despite the real energy cost savings and environmental benefits associated with improving home energy efficiency, a series of barriers have prevented a self-sustaining retrofit market from forming. These barriers include a lack of access to information, financing and skilled workers.

The recommendations and actions in this Report have been carefully designed to help overcome these barriers and to leverage Recovery Act funding to help ensure that the energy efficiency market will thrive long after the Recovery Act money is fully spent.

Some recommendations in the report include:
*Provide American Homeowners with Straightforward and Reliable Home Energy Retrofit Information: Consumers need consistent, accessible, and trusted information that provides a reliable benchmark of energy efficiency and sound estimates of the costs and benefits of home energy retrofits.

*Reduce High Upfront Costs, Making Energy Retrofits More Accessible: Access to retrofit financing should be more transparent, more accessible, repayable over a longer time period, and more consumer-friendly.

*Establish National Workforce Certifications and Training Standards: A uniform set of national standards to qualify energy efficiency and retrofit workers and industry training providers will establish the foundation of consumer confidence that work will be completed correctly and produce the expected energy savings and benefits. Such standards should incorporate healthy and environmentally friendly housing principles, as outlined in the report titled, the Surgeon General's Call to Action To Promote Healthy Homes (2009). Proper certification and training standards will ensure that retrofitted homes are healthy homes. Consistent high-level national standards will spur the utilization of qualified training providers that offer career-track programs for people of all skill levels, promote and expand green jobs opportunities and facilitate the mobilization of a national home retrofit workforce.

Read the full report and recommendations.

"This initiative will not only result in considerable cost savings for homeowners on their energy bills, but also put resources in the hands of green sector small businesses who will in turn create good-paying jobs in communities across the country," said SBA Administrator Mills.

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, who was unable to attend this event due to travel added, "This is the Recovery Act at work. Communities will benefit from good jobs, families will benefit from lower energy bills, and we will all benefit from reduced air pollution and a growing green economy. Our Energy Star program can help families cut up to 30% off their energy bills -- saving the average household more than $700 a year through efficiency investments.

The Department of Energy today also announced $454 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for energy efficiency efforts nationwide. The Department is now accepting applications for a new $390 million "Retrofit Ramp-Up" program that will deploy innovative approaches to energy efficiency building retrofits. These Recovery Act funds will help create new partnerships to deliver energy bill savings to entire neighborhoods and towns. Bringing energy retrofits to whole neighborhoods at a time will simplify the process for homeowners and significantly reduce costs. When applied on a national scale, the program could save billions of dollars annually in utility bills for households and businesses and create thousands of jobs across the country. In addition, the Energy Department announced $64 million in energy efficiency funding for cities, counties, and Indian tribes.

"The Retrofit Ramp-Up initiative is designed to slice through the barriers identified in this report - inconvenience, lack of information, and lack of financing - and to make energy efficiency easy and accessible to all," said Secretary Chu. " We can literally bring energy efficiency to the doorsteps of the American people."

Separately, the Department of Energy will accept state proposals to use State Energy Grant or Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant funds for Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) pilots. This is an innovative model which allows communities to provide financing to homeowners to install renewable energy systems and retrofit buildings that can be paid off over time on their property tax bills. Today, the White House is announcing a "Policy Framework for PACE Financing Programs" developed through an interagency process to ensure that effective homeowner and lender safeguards are included in PACE programs.

Renewable Energy Conference

The 8th Annual Vermont Renewable Energy Conference & Expo, 2009 will take place on Wednesday, October 28th at the Sheraton Burlington Hotel and Conference Center.

This year the annual conference is expanding to include a 1/2 day public expo opening Wednesday, October 28th at 12:00pm.


Event Hightlights

* Workshop Sessions-Solar, Biofuel, Wind, Geothermal, Biomass and Hydro
* Exhibits-Visit with the state's leading renewable energy companies!
* Public Expo opens Wednesday, October 28 at 12:00 pm
* Networking Reception-Wednesday, October 28th at 5:00 pm

Please visit the website at www.REVermont.org for program updates.
Register online: http://www.revermont.org/conference.html

Vermont Receives EECBG Funds-$9,593,500 awarded

Vermont will use its Recovery Act EECBG funding to undertake projects that enhance energy efficiency and expand the use of renewable energy at the state and local level. In addition to grants to smaller cities and counties, a portion of the subgrant funds will also be awarded to 11 regional planning commissions for county-level energy efficiency related projects, including energy audits, efficiency installations, and energy planning.

Vermont will use the remaining Recovery Act funding to establish the Clean Energy Development Fund, a financial incentive program that will allow the state to maximize the impact and sustainability of clean energy projects by leveraging Recovery Act funds. The program will provide incentives for the installation of renewable energy technologies on government buildings, energy efficiency retrofits for schools and municipal buildings, energy audits for school buildings, and the Vermont Clean Cities Coalition, which supports the reduction of petroleum use in the transportation sector. Vermont's EECBG activities will lead to substantial energy and cost savings, and create and save green jobs statewide.

Associated Industries of Vermont - Annual Meeting

89th AIV Annual Meeting

Ready or Not: Next Big Steps in Vermont's Energy Future

Tuesday, October 6  Capitol Plaza Hotel, Montpelier

AIV's 89th Annual Meeting will provide presentations from key players in these unfolding events, a panel discussion with some of Vermont's top decision makers and stakeholders, and finally a luncheon address by Governor Jim Douglas.

Both members and non-members are welcome to register by faxing or mailing a registration form by October 2. Registration is required for admission to the presentations and luncheon address. Contact Angelina Beardsley at (802) 223-3441 or email info@aivt.org for more information.

Dept. of Energy Announces New Grant Opportunities

U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu today announced a new $450 million program designed to catalyze a nationwide energy upgrade that experts estimate could save $100 million annually in utility bills for households and businesses. The Recovery Act's "Retrofit Ramp-Up" program will pioneer innovative models for rolling out energy efficiency to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in a variety of communities....

The Request for Information (RFI) being issued today is for competitively selected local energy efficiency projects. This competitive portion of theEnergy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program will target community-scale retrofit projects that make significant, long-term impacts on energy use and can serve as national role models for grassroots energy efficiency efforts. The DOE is seeking public comment on this newly funded program under the Recovery Act. Public comment ends on Sept. 28, 2009.

The DOE is accepting feedback on both the competitively-selected portion of the EECBG program for up to $390 million for neighborhood-scale building retrofits, as well as up to $64 million for local governments that were not eligible to receive the formula grants announced earlier this year....

View the Request for Information. Public comment is requested by Sept. 28, 2009. The funding opportunity announcement is expected to be released in early October, following the public comment period.

Button-Up Vermont Regional Workshop

Information Session

on

Organizing a Community

Button-Up Workshop

September 30, 2009

Rutland Regional Planning Commission Conference Room

The Opera House - Third Floor

67 Merchants Row

Rutland, VT

6:30 PM to 8:00 PM

Snacks will be provided

Rutland Regional Planning Commission will be sponsoring a regional public information sessions for community and civic groups who are interested in holding a Button Up workshop in their community. These information sessions are designed to provide local Button Up workshop organizers with guidance on how to organize a workshop, provide copies of educational materials, and explore opportunities for regional cooperation in holding workshops.

As before, the workshops will be facilitated by representatives from the Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network working with the Central Vermont Office of Economic Opportunity.

2009 Vermont Transportation Energy Report

Vermont Clean Cities News

The 2009 Vermont Transportation Energy Report has just been released!

Excerpt from the report's conclusion: "Transportation represents the largest source of Vermont's greenhouse gas emissions (57 percent) and is the largest user of energy by sector (33 percent). Understanding Vermont's transportation energy use is critical to tackling the challenges presented by global climate change, dependence on foreign oil, future energy demands, public health and the implications for accessibility and mobility."

Local Energy Committee Forum

Representatives from local town energy committees will get together to discuss how to organize and how to be more effective.

Local Energy Committee Forum

Tuesday – September 9, 2009
Nella Grimm Fox Room-Rutland Library
Center Street – Rutland, VT

Hosted by the
Rutland Regional Planning Commission
and the
Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network

Purpose: Representatives from local town energy committees, town energy coordinators, and others will share information on efforts to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy generation at the local and regional levels. Food and beverages will be provided.

Agenda

5:30 Gather, eat, and socialize
5:45 Welcome
· Meeting purpose and Agenda review
· Brief introductions
6:00 Updates
· Statewide activities
· Regional activities
· Local Activities
6:45 Local Energy Committee Roundtable
· Updates from town energy committees on past, present, and future local energy projects and activities
· Needs
7:30 Break
7:45 Workshops
· Funding opportunities for community energy initiatives –
Paul Markowitz, VT Chapter of the Sierra Club
· Forming and strengthening town energy committees --
Deb Sachs, Community Climate Action
8:30 What’s Next?
· Explore topics for future meetings
· Set dates
8:45 Adjourn

Webinar August 27 - Energy Efficiency and Retrofit Jobs in the Buildings Industry

DOE Webinar August 27: Energy Efficiency and Retrofit Jobs in the Buildings Industry—Workforce Overview

August 17, 2009

The U.S. Department of Energy Building Technologies Program is offering a webinar on Thursday, August 27 from 12:00-1:30 p.m. EDT titled "Energy Efficiency and Retrofit Jobs in the Buildings Industry—Workforce Overview." This webinar is geared toward community colleges and workforce agencies and will provide an overview of jobs involved with retrofitting existing homes to improve energy efficiency:

• Job skills and scaling up training
• Partnering between community colleges and workforce agencies
• Overview of certifications
• State and local workforce practices

The presenters will be Michael McCabe from the Department of Energy, Debra Rowe from Oakland Community College, Charles Segerstrom from Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Jennifer Troke from the Department of Labor, and Jerry Weber from the College of Lake County.

The webcast is free of charge, but you must register in advance to obtain a URL for the presentation and call-in phone number. Learn more about the webinar.

Reminder! Food talk in Rutland TOMORROW

On Tuesday August 18th, RAFFL will host sustainable food systems author Jill Richardson, who will give a free talk at 6:30 at the UU Church of Rutland (on the corner of West and Cottage Streets across from the Transit Center in Rutland City). The event is co-sponsored by Sustainable Rutland.

Enjoy a tasting of locally grown and produced food!

Click here to read more!

Documentary Screening in Middlebury

Middlebury – The award-winning film Kilowatt Ours: A Plan to Re-Energize America, which provides simple, practical, affordable solutions to America’s energy crisis, is touring the United States. The public is invited to view Kilowatt Ours during a special screening at the Addison County Regional Planning Commission at 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 27, 2009. This acclaimed film advocates energy conservation and renewable power sources as alternatives to the high costs of energy.

When: Thursday, August 27, 7 PM
Where: ACRPC, 14 Seminary Street, Middlebury
Admission: Free

Kilowatt Ours is the story of filmmaker and conservationist Jeff Barrie's journey across the U.S. to document our energy-related problems and present practical, cost-saving solutions for consumers. Widespread problems revealed in Kilowatt Ours include mountaintop removal, air pollution, global warming, childhood asthma, and mercury contamination. The film illustrates practical solutions that can help homeowners save approximately $1000 per year on energy bills, while helping the environment and protecting human health.

“I hope this film sparks an energy conservation movement across America, while boosting demand for clean renewable power sources,” says filmmaker Jeff Barrie. “Many people are unaware that we’re still burning coal to generate most of our electricity in America, creating serious consequences to the environment and human health. The need for conservation is urgent,” says Barrie.

According to the Department of Energy, the average American home consumes more than 900 kilowatt-hours of electricity each month. More than 50% of our nation’s electricity is generated in coal-fired power plants, amounting to nearly 6 tons of coal burned to generate electricity for the typical American home each year. By using products marked with EPA’s Energy Star label, purchasing power generated from renewable resources, more effectively insulating our homes, and utilizing natural energy sources like sunlight, wind, and geothermal power, consumers can reduce the impact of their energy usage, while saving money.

Kilowatt Ours is sponsored by: ACRPC Energy Committee, Johnson Controls, The Sierra Club Foundation, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Stonyfield Farm, Mother Earth News, Utne Reader, and Renewable Choice Energy. For more information visit www.KilowattOurs.org or contact Elizabeth Golden at (802) 388-3141, egolden@sover.net.

Smart Gird Update: State looks to future with 'smart grid' technology

Whether the state is successful in its application for $66 million worth of federal funding or not, Vermont's utilities and regulatory agencies will move forward in an effort to create a "smart grid" for power distribution, state officials and industry executives said Thursday. However, without the federal assistance, it will take much longer to complete the ambitious project, they said.

The smart grid proposal would involve installing new electric meters in Vermonter's homes and creating the fiber optic pathways and technological links. That, in turn, would allow those meters to "talk" back and forth with utility computers, coordinating when electricity is used and reducing how much electricity is used and how much it costs.... Read more: State looks to future with 'smart grid' technology: Rutland Herald Online

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Reducing our Energy Costs: Food Production Talk in Rutland

Approximately one third of energy costs in the State of Vermont is in the transportation sector. While we do talk about taking the bus, carpooling, and biking to work, we at the Planning Commission have much fewer discussions about another important aspect of reducing transportation costs: local consumerism.

Luckily, we have a chance to learn from one of the experts, thanks to the Rutland Area Farm and Food Link (RAFFL). Next Tuesday, August 18th, RAFFL will host sustainable food systems author Jill Richardson, who will give a free talk at 6:30 at the UU Church of Rutland (on the corner of West and Cottage Streets across from the Transit Center in Rutland City). The event is co-sponsored by Sustainable Rutland.

Richardson is the author of Recipe for America: why our food system is broken and what we can do to fix it. Come hear her ideas for a new recipe for America's food systems. You will also learn what RAFFL is doing to create a sustainable food system right here in the Rutland region, and how their work relate to the bigger national picutre.

Enjoy a tasting of locally grown and produced food!

A review of Richardson's book:

“America’s food system is dominated by agribusiness and corporate farms, whose destructive practices pollute the environment, are cruel to animals, and offer us unhealthy food choices. Despite this dire situation, most people have little idea how to eat differently, or healthier.

In Recipe for America, food activist Jill Richardson shows how sustainable agriculture—where local farms raise food that is healthy for consumers and animals and does not damage the environment—offers the only solution to America’s food crisis. In addition to highlighting the harmful conditions at factory farms, this timely and necessary book details the rising grassroots food movement, which is creating an agricultural system that allows people to eat sustainably, locally, and seasonally.

A call to action for those who are concerned about what they eat and the health of the planet, Recipe for America shows how sustainable eating nourishes our bodies, our economy, and our environment, and how it is the best hope for the future of food in America."

www.rutlandfarmandfood.org
www.sustainablerutland.org

Bennington couple hopes to restart hydro power: Rutland Herald Online

Bennington couple hopes to restart hydro power: Rutland Herald Online

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What to do about renewables in Rutland County?

For a variety of reasons, energy conservation and generation are hot topics in our region these days. As we try to make sense of all the complex factors influencing our energy situation, perhaps it would help to check out what other folks around the country are doing from a regional planning perspective.

The New Rules Project, an educational website, offers the example of Klickitat County in southern Washington state. The New Rules Project article argues that if "a proliferation of small-scale power plants serves the interests of the general community, cities and counties should include this concept as an element in their general plans and zoning ordinances."

That is exactly what Klickitat County has done. They studied the potential impacts of future energy projects within the county borders and came up with a plan to help direct any future projects to the most appropriate areas. Their process resulted in the creation of a county-wide "Energy Overlay Zone", a zoning tool aimed at expediting renewable energy development. Understandably, the establishment of this zone had many critics - maybe one person's renewable energy site is another person's treasured natural area or backyard.

When we are planning for our energy future here in Rutland County, there are many important questions to ask. How much energy do we need? How can we work together to reduce energy demand? Do we agree that increasing energy generation within our borders is an appropriate goal? What impact do we have on the larger national or regional community when we draw power from remote sources? How can we balance our environmental concerns with our economic goals and aesthetic preferences? Who are willing to ask to make sacrifices on behalf of our energy needs?

The Rutland Regional Plan (2008) states four major unmet needs in terms of the region's energy needs: full consideration of environmental impacts of productions; reducing emissions from energy use; rising costs of fuel; and widespread availability and use of alternative energy sources. Meanwhile, the plan points to several future trends in energy use: we are likely to see increased use of electricity and fossil fuel energy, unstable energy supplies and cost increases, and uncertain electricity supplies and costs.

Is the development of renewable energy sources within the region the best answer to these issues? Or should we focus more on efficiency and conservation? The Rutland Regional Planning Commission will hold a Regional Energy Meeting, with the assistance of VECAN, to explain what towns can do and are doing to address these questions in Vermont. Come join the discussion:

September 9, 2009
5:30 pm
Fox Room, Rutland Free Library