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.