vermont energy investment corporation
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burlington — the vermont energy investment corporation board of directors has named jim madej chief executive officer .
efficiency vermont is administered by the vermont energy investment corporation (veic), an independent nonprofit energy services organization. efficiency vermont' s programs undergo review and verification through an independent financial audit, a savings verification process conducted by the vermont public service department (psd), and a triennial independent audit mandated by the vermont legislature. in december 2010, the efficiency vermont contract structure to both vermont energy investment corporation and burlington electric department was replaced with a franchise - like
order of appointment
structure with a duration of 12 years. for more information, see the psb' s website .
the vermont legislature created an energy efficiency utility named efficiency vermont as a full - service utility providing those services to all ratepayers. under this structure, utility ratepayers can reduce their energy use by investing in energy improvements for their homes and businesses, with assistance from efficiency vermont. efficiency vermont is managed and operated by the vermont energy investment corporation. efficiency vermont, set goals to greatly increase their impact on rural residents and applied for an rus energy efficiency and conservation program (eeclp) loan .
chp in energy efficiency standards: vermont public service board (psb) established a statewide energy efficiency utility, efficiency vermont, along with a funding mechanism to support it. efficiency vermont is administered by vermont energy investment corporation (veic), which is an independent, nonprofit corporation. the eeu implements that implements the state’s energy reduction goals. the order of appointment (ooa) that describes the general responsibilities and scope of activities to be performed by the energy efficiency utility includes guidance related to project and savings eligibility for customer - sited generation including deployed chp .
the vermont public utility commission has appointed two entities to deliver both electricity and heating - and - process - fuel energy efficiency services to residential and business consumers throughout vermont. one is efficiency vermont (operated by the vermont energy investment corporation), which delivers services in most of the state, and the other is burlington electric department, which delivers services in its service territory. the services offered by these
energy efficiency utilities
help consumers invest now in energy efficiency measures that will save vermonters money .
vermont energy investment corporation has the good fortune to work with a number of outstanding partners who contract with us to bring their brands to life: the dc sustainable energy utility, efficiency vermont, and efficiency smart. the biomass energy resource center became a part of veic in 2012. the renewable energy resource center and drive electric vermont brands were developed by veic as collaborative ventures. commons energy was established in 2014 as a for - profit business rooted in a social mission and operated as a low - profit limited liability company (l3c) .
through a process lasting more than two years, the vermont energy investment corporation (veic) engaged key vermont energy stakeholders—including a range of solar energy market actors, citizen and consumer advocates, legislators, utilities, regulators, the statewide energy efficiency utility, and academic researchers—in the development of a solar master plan to address challenges and opportunities created by high levels of solar generation. the veic team held a series of stakeholder meetings, initially organized around strategic focus areas related to growing solar :
for nearly three decades, the vermont energy investment corporation (veic) has provided energy efficiency services for residents and businesses guided by our commitment as a non - profit to environmental and social justice, innovation, and delivering results. we serve utilities, government agencies, and foundations in three key areas: comprehensive design and implementation of energy efficiency programs; targeted implementation of efficiency services; and consultative services in transportation, financing, renewable energy, low - income energy efficiency, energy planning, and more .
veic launches the vermont fuel buyers' group, a project which eventually became the energy co - op of vermont .
the state of vermont offers an investment tax credit for eligible chp systems and other renewable energy equipment on business properties. the incentive for chp is 2. 4% with a maximum system size of 50 mw .
efficiency vermont is born. veic wins the contract, with the vermont public service board, to create and administer the nation’s first energy efficiency utility. efficiency vermont begins delivering services to vermont ratepayers in march 2000 .
efficiency vermont (evt) serves the majority of the state and is operated by vermont energy investment corporation (veic). veic is eligible to receive a performance incentive for meeting or exceeding performance goals established for three - year performance cycles. for the period january 1, 2015, to december 31, 2017, veic can earn up to $ 4, 442, 682 for meeting electric energy savings goals and other performance goals including peak savings, market transformation, and total resource benefits .
vermont has developed commercial stretch energy standards that will be used for act 250 projects .
the biomass energy resource center (berc) is a program of vermont energy investment corporation (veic). berc works to advance the use of community - scale biomass energy throughout north america and beyond by providing technical consulting services, biomass energy program design and delivery, and education and outreach on benefits and best practices. berc works with communities, federal, state and local governments, colleges and universities, businesses, utilities, and others to use local biomass resources, invest in local energy systems, and reduce the use of fossil heating fuels. learn more »
to meet this target, vermont needs 1 gw of solar capacity, which happens to be the same as the state’s peak electric demand. this requires more planning, investment, and upgrades to grid hardware and operations systems .
through education, services, and incentives, efficiency vermont advances sustainable energy solutions for all vermont homeowners and businesses. learn more about us ...
the veic - administered efficiency vermont helps design the first zero - energy - ready replacement for mobile homes in a collaboration with vermont modular home manufacturer, vermod homes, and the vermont housing & conservation board .
vermont does not have traditional eers legislation with a set schedule of energy - savings percentages for each year. instead, vermont law requires eeu budgets to be set at a level that would realize
all reasonably available, cost - effective energy efficiency .
compensation and specific energy - savings levels—not “soft” goals or targets—are then negotiated with eeu contractor vermont energy investment corporation (veic). there is not an explicit penalty for non - performance. however, a portion of the compensation vermont pays the administrator is contingent on meeting stated goals, subject to a monitoring and verification process. if the administrator does not meet stated goals, the state will withhold compensation, and the administrator potentially will be replaced at the end of the three - year period (dsire 2011) .
gap analysis / strategic compliance plan: a gap analysis and energy code compliance plan was completed for vermont and is available on the vermont department of public service website .
energy rated homes of vermont, a program of veic, wins a u. s. department of energy grant to serve as one of five participants in a national home energy rating system pilot .
vermont economic development authority (veda) sustainable energy loan fund: the program enables veda “to make loans and provide other forms of financing for projects that stimulate and encourage development and deployment of sustainable energy projects in the state of vermont. ” the fund provides four loan products (small business energy loan program, commercial energy loan program, agriculture energy loan program, and energy loan guarantee program) .
delayed deployment: a version of the advanced solar scenario that installs the solar more slowly so it costs less, but also reduces the amount of federal investment tax credit that would flow into the state .
veic launches commons energy, a public purpose energy services company designed to reduce energy costs for multifamily housing and other public - serving buildings .
efficiency vermont has partnered with bgs to benchmark their facilities as part of a new state energy management program initiative .
efficiency vermont provides technical assistance, rebates, and other financial incentives to help vermont households and businesses reduce their energy costs with energy - efficient equipment, lighting, and approaches to construction and major renovation. efficiency vermont partners extensively with contractors, suppliers, and retailers of efficient products and services throughout the state .
veic works with the delaware sustainable energy utility to develop a zero energy manufactured (zem) home replacement program, based on the original zem program developed for efficiency vermont .
a partnership of the vermont home finance agency and veic launches the home energy improvement loan program, an innovative financing and technical assistance program for low - and moderate - income vermont homeowners, that loans close to $ 1 million dollars for energy - efficiency improvements .
to determine the physical and financial investment in solar pv, grid upgrades, efficiency, and flexible load needed to progress vermont toward its 2050 goal, veic created energy and economic models with different levels of assumed renewable energy generation. this scenario modeling allowed veic to easily create and compare related scenarios to each other and to a business - as - usual scenario. the project team started with a model that accurately reflected vermont’s total energy system at the start of the study, and, using leap software from the stockholm environment institute, veic created the following scenarios :
supported by the u. s. department of energy and in partnership with the vermont department of public service and the office of economic opportunity, veic creates the residential energy efficiency program (reep), the precursor to the first energy efficiency utility .
the state offers several incentives for energy - efficient investments. the state government leads by example by requiring energy - efficient public buildings and fleets, benchmarking energy use in public buildings, and encouraging energy savings performance contracting. research focused on efficient vehicles is conducted at the university of vermont smart grid research center .
vermont’s residential building energy code is mandatory statewide. effective march 1, 2015, the rbes references the 2015 iecc with vermont - specific amendments. the state is required by statute to update its codes every three years .
veic wins the innovation in american government award from the harvard kennedy school of government for efficiency vermont, the nation’s first “energy efficiency utility” .
veic and the burlington, vermont housing authority enter into one of the national’s first public - purpose, non - profit energy performance contracts .
vermont law requires program administrators to set budgets at a level that would realize
all reasonably available, cost - effective energy efficiency .
the district of columbia sustainable energy utility (dcseu) helps district households, businesses, and institutions save energy and money through energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. it is committed to community engagement, economic development, job creation, and environmental preservation .
vermont is and has been among the leading states for utility energy efficiency for many years and was the first to create a statewide
energy efficiency utility .
under vermont’s 12 - year
order of appointment
model, efficiency vermont and burlington electric department deliver both electric and unregulated heating - and - process - fuel energy efficiency services to residential and business consumers throughout the state. the state eeu fiscal agent receives energy efficiency charge monies collected by the electric distribution companies and disburses the funds to the eeus .
90×2050 veic: meets the 90% goal through any means of renewable energy use, based on the state’s total energy study .
this report specifies the policy, regulatory and market conditions needed for distributed solar to play an important role in meeting vermont’s 90% renewables by 2050 energy goals .
efficiency vermont (evt) is one of vermont' s energy efficiency utilities. this comprehensive site describes evt' s programs and service offerings that can help you identify the most cost - effective ways to reduce energy use in your home or business. evt can also be reached by calling 1 - 888 - 921 - 5990 .
efficiency vermont launches the inaugural better buildings by design conference, which now draws more than 1, 200 contractors, architects, engineers, developers, and energy professionals annually .
veic wins a contract to provide home energy rating services for all new residential construction in central vermont public service territory, requiring veic to cover all corners of the state. two years later, veic is providing similar services to 80% of vermont’s electric utility service territories .
the 2016 state agency energy plan, part of the comprehensive 2016 state energy plan, establishes the goal of reducing state government operations total energy consumption by 25% by 2035. in order to achive this goal, the energy consumption associated with state owned and operated buildings must be reduced by 15% by 2030. the 2016 plan also encourages all vermont state agencies to track and benchmark state - owned and operated buildings' energy use using the energy star portfolio manager. the vermont dept. of buildings and general services (bgs) estimates that the state has captured 70% of these buildings in various state agency portfolio manager accounts .
the information, data, or work presented herein was funded in part by the office of energy efficiency and renewable energy (eere), u. s. department of energy, under award number de - ee0006907 .
vermont statute (30 vsa sec. 218c) directs all electric and natural gas utilities to prepare and implement least cost integrated plans—plans
for meeting the public' s need for energy services, after safety concerns are addressed, at the lowest present value life cycle cost, including environmental and economic costs, through a strategy combining investments and expenditures on energy supply, transmission and distribution capacity, transmission and distribution efficiency, and comprehensive energy efficiency programs .
in addition, vermont has a well - established regulatory process to factor the energy efficiency utility' s energy savings into utility companies' load forecasts. vermont law requires eeu budgets to be set at a level that would realize
all reasonably available, cost - effective energy efficiency .
vermont has enough land and sunlight to meet 20% of its electricity needs with solar by 2025 .
commons energy offers significant energy savings for buildings that serve a public purpose. these can include educational institutions, health care facilities, municipal and other community buildings, and multifamily affordable housing. commons energy preserves and fortifies these valuable public buildings and creates positive cash flow—from guaranteed energy savings—for building owners .
veic moves its burlington, vermont headquarters to lakeside avenue, transforming a 150 - year - old mill building into an energy - efficient, sustainable, and productive office space .
the biomass energy resource center at veic plays a key role in securing a partnership between the state of vermont and the state of upper austria to develop biomass heating programs and technologies .
the university of vermont smart grid research center conducts research on the technological, human behavior, and public policy implications of smart grid technology, including its use to increase energy efficiency .
vermont gas systems has also been designated an eeu with a 12 - year order of appointment to deliver natural gas energy efficiency services as of april 2015 (see docket 7676) .
vermont’s commercial building energy code is mandatory statewide. effective march 1, 2015, the rbes references the 2015 iecc with vermont - specific amendments. ashrae 90. 1 - 2013 is accepted as an alternate compliance path. the state is required by statute to update its codes every three years .
owing to vermont legislation, the veic - administered efficiency vermont expands its scope to include both electricity and fossil fuel efficiency, supported in part by the northeast regional greenhouse gas initiative and by veic’s participation in the region’s forward capacity market; selling saved energy as a resource to the region’s electric grid .
fast freight plans and goals: vermont has a state freight plan that identifies a multimodal freight network, but it does not include freight energy or greenhouse gas reduction goals. vermont is one of the few states to include a comprehensive discussion of freight sector performance measures and offer a proposal for implementation .
veic expands its expertise in renewable energy through the acquisition of the biomass energy resource center (berc), building upon years of cooperation between the two organizations .
act 51 of 2013 requires a life cycle cost analysis while incorporating the use of renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, and thermal energy conservation in any new building construction or major renovation project in excess of $ 250, 000. 00 .
financial incentive information for vermont is provided by the database of state incentives for renewables and efficiency (dsire vermont). information about additional incentives not present on dsire is listed here. the state does enable property assessed clean energy financing (pace), but it does not have any active pace programs .
created the vermont solar pathways report which examines challenges to an advanced solar future and how they can be overcome .
dan’s current and recent projects include: delivering testimony and technical analysis on energy efficiency potential before regulatory commissions in michigan, colorado, and minnesota; providing technical assistance on the development of commercial energy efficiency financing pilots in california; formulating energy transformation concepts that will help vermont meet its comprehensive energy goals; providing technical assistance to the designlights consortium on the evolution of their technical performance requirements; developing or contributing to deemed savings assumptions within technical reference manuals (“trm”) in numerous jurisdictions including vermont, ohio, washington d. c. , iowa, and illinois .
founded in 1986, veic is a not - for - profit organization dedicated to reducing the economic and environmental costs of energy use. through our comprehensive energy efficiency utilities and implementation and consulting services, we work with utilities, government agencies, and foundations in the design and delivery of energy efficiency and renewable energy services. learn more »
veic co - founder, beth sachs, receives a lifetime achievement award, from northeast energy efficiency partnerships, honoring 40 years of pioneering leadership in the energy efficiency field .
vermont pioneered the model of a statewide
energy efficiency utility
( eeu) after enacting legislation in 1999 authorizing vermont public service board (psb) to collect a volumetric (per kwh) charge on all electric utility customers’ bills to support energy efficiency programs, called the energy efficiency charge (eec). psb created the eeu designation that efficiency vermont (evt) and burlington electric department (bed) currently operate under to invest in programs and services that save money and conserve energy. vermont gas systems offers natural gas efficiency service within its territory. natural gas efficiency programs are supported by legislation and regulation (30 v. s. a. section 235 (d); docket no. 5270 vgs - 1, 2) and began in 1993. the public service board designated it an eeu with a 12 - year order of appointment to deliver natural gas energy efficiency services in april 2015 (see docket 7676) .
efficiency vermont annual reports and plans include additional details on the fund, the types of projects it has funded, and its plans for the future. efficiency vermont' s latest three - year plan covering 2015 to 2017 can be found here .
in june 1999, vermont enacted legislation authorizing the vermont public service board (psb) to establish a volumetric charge on all electric customers' bills to support energy efficiency programs. as a result, in 2000 the psb established efficiency vermont and a funding mechanism to support it. the funding mechanism, which varies by utility, is based on factors unique to each utility' s service territory and is reviewed periodically and adjusted as necessary by the psb. * it should be noted that burlington electric department is not required to fund efficiency vermont; it collects its funds and implements its programs directly under a separate agreement with the psb. many of burlington electric department programs are identical to efficiency vermont programs .
solar pv is the fastest - growing form of energy in vermont. from 2012 to 2017, vermont’s solar energy capacity increased almost nine times to 227 mw, a compound annual growth rate of 54% . during this time, the portion of electricity from solar grew from 0. 5% to 5% . the state is one of the national leaders in net metering, community solar, and solar jobs per capita .
this year marks the start of veic’s annual top - ten ranking on the best places to work in vermont list, recognizing veic for its positive impact on vermont’s economy and workforce as measured by workplace policies, practices, demographics, and employee satisfaction .
we champion local and statewide efforts to drive energy innovation that strengthens the economy and environment .
description: in may 2017, vermont passed bill h. 411, an act relating to miscellaneous energy issues. the new law provides that the state will enforce federal standards if they are “withdrawn, repealed or otherwise voided” at the federal level. efficiency measures protected by the new vermont law include all standards on the federal books as of january 17, 2017, including ones that have yet to take effect, like the light bulb standards slated for 2020. in february 2006 vermont passed bill h. 0253, an act relating to establishing energy efficiency standards for certain appliances, which created energy efficiency standards for appliances. the act created standards for seven products, which have since been preempted by the energy independence and security act of 2007 .
in 2011, the vermont comprehensive energy plan set a goal to have renewable energy supply 90% of the state’s total energy needs (including electricity, heating and cooling, and transportation) by 2050. the department of public service completed a total energy study to examine the feasibility and cost - effectiveness of various paths to the 90% goal and related emissions goals. the general assembly created a renewable portfolio standard (rps) that includes credit for projects—such as electric vehicles and modern wood heating—that switch end uses away from fossil fuel, making the rps essentially a total energy portfolio standard. achieving the state’s energy goals will require major contributions from distributed resources and the development of supporting infrastructure such as energy storage, electric vehicle charging stations, and upgraded distribution systems .
ccp: eligible customers must be iso 14001 - certified and meet several conditions similar to energy star for industrial facilities. for natural gas energy efficiency, eligible only for transmission and industrial electric and natural gas ratepayers, customer efficiency charges for electric usage must be a minimum of $ 1. 5 million. smeep allows an eligible customer to be exempt from the (electric) energy efficiency charge (eec) provided that the customer commits to spending an annual average of no less than $ 1 million per year over a three - year period on energy efficiency investments. in addition, the vermont public service board has established an option for eligible vermont business customers to self - administer energy efficiency through the use of an energy savings account (esa) or the customer credit program. these funds are still paid into the veeuf and disbursed to the participants upon completion of an eligible energy efficiency measure .
veic develops cat, a software screening tool to determine the cost - effectiveness of energy measures .
ultimately, the vermont solar pathways project established a valuable process and methodologies that could be replicated—with or without modification—by stakeholders in other states .
in vermont, it is a generally accepted legal precept that there is a protected privacy interest in customer energy information. energy providers, eeus, the public service department, along with the public service board, all acknowledge that this information is confidential. utilities and fuel dealers generally only release customer data with their customer’s written permission .
act 89 of 2013 gives the vermont public service department the authority to develop stretch codes and municipalities have the option of adopting them. the state' s residential stretch energy code went into effect december 1, 2015. any projects encompassed by residential act 250 are required to adopt the residential stretch code. thise code has a higher level of thermal energy efficiency than the base code. both residential base and stretch energy codes also allow renewable energy to be used to meet the target home energy rating scores for compliance. additionally, the residential stretch code has electric vehicle charging requirements for multifamily developments of 10 units or more .
the state has an interconnection standard that applies to chp, an incentive program for chp, and includes chp as an eligible resource in the state' s renewable energy goals. no new chp systems were installed in vermont in 2016 .
thanks for the feedback! veic strives to be a catalyst to reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and in creating energy justice. total energy solutions are critical to our success and we need to
the most important conclusion of the vermont solar pathways study is that solar can provide 20% of vermont’s electricity by 2025, and can do so with investments that are less than 1% of total annual energy expenditures. over the longer term, through 2050, the study suggests net economic benefits are several billion dollars higher under the advanced solar scenario than business as usual .
burlington electric department (bed) is one of vermont' s energy efficiency utilities. this comprehensive site describes bed' s programs and service offerings that can help you identify the most cost - effective ways to reduce energy use in your home or business. bed can also be reached by calling 1 - 802 - 865 - 7300 .
the biomass energy resource center (berc) strives to achieve a healthier environment, strengthen local economies, and increase energy security across the united states through the development of sustainable biomass energy systems at the community level. our particular focus is on the use of woody biomass and other pelletized biomass fuels .
“jim’s deep energy industry expertise and his proven track record of customer - focused leadership made him the ideal choice to lead veic in building on the success it has achieved in vermont, ohio, washington, d. c. , and beyond in helping customers spend less on energy, ” said richard cowart, vice president of the board .
madej comes to veic with decades of experience in the energy industry, including leadership experience in delivering energy - efficiency programs and services to customers in his role as chief customer officer at national grid usa .
veic introduces kitt, an enhanced data management software system designed to track savings and manage customer information, allowing efficiency vermont to better serve customers .
utility involvement: efficiency vermont and burlington electric dept. are required through their order of appointment to assist with providing energy code support (information and training). the high level of participation in their new contruction programs, contributes significantly to the state' s overall energy code compliance rate. evt also hosts the energy code assistance center, which distributes information on energy codes and answers builders, architects, and other contractors questions on how to meet energy code requirements. as the state' s energy efficiency utilities they fulfill this role in lieu of the distributed utilities. they also provide assistance for filling out the certificates. after the state recently updated the codes they held numerous trainings for builders, architects, and realtors on the new requirements as well as blower door certification / training .
veic launches two new energy efficiency utilities: ohio - based efficiencysmart, in partnership with american municipal power, and the district of columbia sustainable energy utility, under a contract with the district department of the environment .
there are some additional supportive policies to encourage chp in vermont. the state offers a renewable energy sales tax exemption for renewable - energy systems which also applies to micro chp systems up to 20 kw. the state also encourages the use of renewable - fueled chp systems and waste heat to power (whp), which qualify under its renewable energy standard, which is 55% by 2017 and rising in 3 year increments by 4% to 75% by 2032 .
vermont' s most recent commercial and residential energy codes went into effect in march 2015 and are based on the 2015 iecc. the state is required by statute to update its codes every three years. the state has a residential stretch code in place that municipalities may choose to adopt and stretch standards for commercial buildings that apply to act 250 projects. vermont has completed a variety of activities to ensure compliance .
veic creates its first mission statement: “to reduce the costs, both monetary and environmental, of energy use” .
vermont governor howard dean signs into law a net metering bill, allowing customers with onsite renewable energy to feed excess power into the grid and to draw power when their systems aren’t producing. that same afternoon, veic installs the first photovoltaic panel complying with the new law .
the state shall consider buildings with leed certification, energy star certification or efficiency vermont’s high performance building designation when entering into a new lease space that is greater than 5, 000 square feet and the total term of the lease is five or more years. the leasing agent must consider these criteria unless there is no space available that will meet these criteria and the program needs of the agency including, emergency relocation and geographical requirements. if the needs of the tenant require a space that does not meet these energy standards, the lease agreement will include an arrangement between the landlord and bgs to create an implementation plan for energy efficiency and energy conservation measures and consider renewable energy usage and generation to improve the overall efficiency of the building .
as specified by vermont law, net proceeds from the sale of carbon credits through the regional greenhouse gas initiative (rggi), as well as net revenues / payments from the new england independent system operator (iso - ne) forward capacity savings resulting from the activities of the energy efficiency utility, are to be used to deliver thermal energy and process fuel (tepf) energy efficiency services by the eeu’s. total low - income spending must be greater than 17% of the total tepf fund expenditures .
veic leads an innovative vehicle - to - grid electric school bus pilot program for the massachusetts department of energy resources .
the vermont office of economic opportunity (oeo) administers the vermont home weatherization assistance program (hwap), which includes both state and federal funds. oeo monitors and provides training and technical assistance to five non‐profit community weatherization assistance programs. efficiency vermont supplements the state weatherization program with add - on measures beyond what would otherwise be included in the state - and federally - funded wap. these measures include energy star - qualified refrigerators, energy star - qualified clothes washers, lighting, ventilation fans, and smart power strips. efficiency vermont continually assesses potential new measures to include in the scope of the add - on program and has updated its offerings to include heat pump water heaters, dehumidifiers, and mini - split heat pumps. community action program agencies offer these measures as a part of the same program delivery as the state weatherization program, so customers must interact with only one program .
vermont public service approved a 2012 - 2014 budget for efficiency vermont, set to achieve approximately 2% annual savings (vt public service board docket eeu - 2010 - 06). electric efficiency quality performance indicators for 2015 - 2017 include a target for total electricity savings of 321, 800 mwh over the three - year period for efficiency vermont. burlington electric also has savings targets in place for this period, bringing statewide incremental electricity savings targets to about 2. 1% per year .
incentives, grants, or financing: efficiency vermont provides some financial support for chp projects in the state, as enabled by the 2016 order of appointment for veic .
2015: electrical budget: $ 52. 2 million; thermal energy and process fuels budget: $ 7. 1 million
2016: electrical budget: $ 56. 2 million; thermal energy and process fuels budget: $ 7. 7 million
2017: electrical budget: $ 58. 7 million; thermal energy and process fuels budget: $ 8. 3 million
vermont gas systems offers comprehensive thermal efficiency programs including rebates, financing, and technical assistance for cost - effective natural gas saving measures for both its residential and business customers .
by statute, the funds collected for efficiency vermont may not be used to meet the general obligations of the state. efficiency vermont provides technical assistance and financial incentives for energy - efficient building design, construction, renovation, equipment, lighting, and appliances. its primary priorities are reducing the size of future power purchases, reducing the generation of greenhouse gases, limiting the need to upgrade the state' s transmission and distribution infrastructure, and minimizing the costs of electricity .
in addition to the smeep program, another self - management program called the energy savings accounts (esa) are available to commercial customers that contribute at least $ 5, 000 per year to the eeu fund (via the energy efficiency charge) .
for electric energy efficiency, there are three self - direct options available statewide: smeep (self - managed energy efficiency program), ccp (customer credit program) and esa (energy savings accounts). smeep is also available for the one eligible gas customer. the smeep options require prospective participants or their successors to have contributed $ 1. 5 million to the energy efficiency fund in 2008 through the efficiency charge added on their electric costs to meet the requirements. only one customer meets that standard. additionally, an eligible customer must commit to investing a minimum of $ 3 million over a three - year program cycle. the esa option allows vermont business that pay an energy efficiency charge (eec) in excess of $ 5, 000 total per year (or an average $ 5, 000 total per year over three years) to use a portion of their eec to support energy efficiency projects in their facilities .
at its 20 year anniversary, veic adopts a
big, hairy audacious goal
for its next 20 years—
our work will result in reducing 20 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year by the year 2027 .
this is also the first year that efficiency vermont’s work helps to bend the curve to turn vermont’s electricity load growth negative .
complete streets: vermont statutes include complete streets legislation that orders any construction or reconstruction project to allocate space for pedestrian and bicycle friendly pathways unless those additions are deemed prohibitively expensive .
at veic we strive to ensure that the benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy are enjoyed by all—from homeowners and businesses to communities and states. veic’s approach to program review, design, and implementation draws on decades of expertise in several integrated disciplines. »
the renewable energy resource center (rerc) provides consumers with information on solar hot water and solar electric renewable energy systems. the website features information on how these systems work, their economic and environmental benefits, how to find dealers, and buying guidance .
the amount vermonters will save in energy and water costs over the lifetime of their 2017 investments in efficient equipment and building improvements .
the psd will be submitting a request this year for the vermont public service board to convene a proceeding on commercial, multifamily, and mixed - use building benchmarking and labeling to investigate consideration of establishing a system for delivery of aggregated energy data to building owners and their agents for use in buildings with tenants .
veic opens a new jersey office, with a team of partners implementing new jersey’s customer onsite renewable energy program for business and residences .
the most recent budgets for energy efficiency programs and electricity and natural gas savings can be found in the state spending and savings tables .
lots of talented and mission - driven staff. stable revenue base with their long - term efficiency vermont contract. very nice offices in both burlington and dc. good pay and benefits .
vermont specifies the social cost test to be its primary test for decision making. a 15% adjustment is applied to the cost - effectiveness screening tool for low - income customer programs .
with conservation services group, veic creates and releases the first version of fast track, a data management tool for tracking energy efficiency savings .
efficiency vermont (evt), the state’s energy efficiency utility established in 1999, is funded through a systems benefits charge on all utility customers’ bills. vermont requires that evt achieve a minimum level of low - income services spending (for the 2015 - 2017 period the requirement is $ 10. 5 million). most of the costs of the electric efficiency measures implemented by evt and the community - based weatherization agencies are paid for by evt, with any remaining balances covered by the federal weatherization assistance program (wap) .
act 40 of 2011 calls for the state to lead by example regarding its own energy usage and set a specific 5% energy savings goal for state government. bgs is leading the way by creating its own strategic plan for energy savings that will be used as a model for other state agencies and departments. bgs has convened a state agency / department stakeholder group to review the bgs plan and work towards this goal. all agency buildings, existing and new construction will be reviewed by the agencies and the bgs environmental engineer to be part of the epa portfolio manager. bgs has established the goal of attaining an energy star score of 75 or higher for all eligible buildings. for those buildings that are not eligible, bgs has established the goal of setting site energy usage targets across the portfolio to help achieve our mandated annual energy consumption reduction target of 5% .
veic begins designing energy efficiency program in countries such as mexico, jamaica, st. lucia, several provinces in canada, and the united kingdom .
dan specializes in the design, planning and administration of commercial and industrial energy efficiency programs, with an emphasis on lighting technologies. his program design experience spans multiple service delivery paths and program types. he has consulted on hundreds of commercial efficiency projects across numerous jurisdictions and speaks nationally on program design, industry standards, and lighting technology. dan is a licensed professional engineer (pe) in the state of vermont, is a certified energy manager (cem), and is lighting certified (lc) .
scenario modeling offers an alternative to traditional energy efficiency or renewable energy potential studies. instead of a linear process of screening measures based on whether they reduce costs, scenario modeling answers public policy questions, like the one posed by the veic team about how much would it cost to have 20% of electricity from solar by 2025 and 90% of total energy from renewables by 2050. in vermont’s case, the answer turned out to be that it would cost much less than business as usual, even though some of the investments in the first 10 years would not screen in a cost - effectiveness test. those investments are necessary to build momentum for the level of growth needed .
emily is an analyst at energy futures group in hinesburg, vermont, providing research and analytical support. prior to joining efg, emily worked in the legal sector, working as a paralegal in the energy and telecommunications division of the massachusetts attorney general’s office. she graduated from the university of connecticut in 2014, where she studied resource economics concentrating in environmental economics and policy. as a student, emily conducted research on land conservation tax incentive programs in connecticut towns, and graduated as a member of the university honors program. emily also interned at the connecticut league of conservation voters and the ct department of energy and environmental protection, where she supported sustainable transportation and environmental compliance efforts .
we are excited to welcome three new members to the veic board of directors. colin owyang, ellen zuckerman, and nick richardson, will begin their terms as veic board members this month. they bring extensive knowledge of the clean energy sector and a passion for energy affordability and social justice to our organization. urltoken
net metering: vermont' s original net - metering legislation was enacted in 1998, and the law has been expanded several times subsequently. any electric customer in vermont may net meter after obtaining a certificate of public good from the vermont public service board (psb). an application for a certificate of public good for interconnected net metered power systems is available on the program web site listed above. net metering is generally available to systems up to 250 kilowatts (kw) in capacity that generate electricity using micro - combined heat and power (chp) systems up to 20 kw. chp systems greater than 20 kw in capacity are not eligible for net metering .
the department of buildings and general services (bgs) operates the state energy management program (semp) - its own in - house revolving loan fund for building efficiency which essentially makes the state its own espc contractor. in its strategic plan, bgs calls for using epscs to complete energy improvements within correctional facilities. bgs is currently entered into an espc with noresco for the montpelier capital complex. monitoring and verification will continue until 2019 for the 14 energy conservation measures implemented throughout the complex .
one of the study’s key findings was that the total spending for energy and related infrastructure between now and 2025 would be essentially the same for all of these scenarios. the graph below shows the net present value of that spending, along with the percent of total energy from renewables. however, a separate analysis (not shown) indicates that the business - as - usual scenario will cost $ 8 billion more than any of the high - renewable - energy scenarios when total spending through 2050 is considered .
when this project was proposed in 2014, solar was growing in vermont, but not as quickly as in hawai’i, california, new jersey, or massachusetts. only the first two grey dots in the graph below had been measured .
investing in efficiency and solar can yield economic benefits for vermonters and costs less than relying on imported fossil fuel, helping low - and moderate - income residents afford energy .
we are hosting a webinar tomorrow at 2pm edt about best practices for low - income energy efficiency programs, with an emphasis on increasing both access to and ...
the public utility commission has delegated to the department of public service the responsibility to evaluate, measure, and verify services offered and savings claimed by the energy efficiency utilities .
new since 2015 is the passage of act 56 of 2015, which creates a renewable energy standard in vermont. it creates an energy transformation obligation for electric distribution utilities, in which they must produce an increasing amount of fossil fuel use reductions attributable to their customers. they may meet the obligation through the use of more efficient heating systems (such as heat pumps) or through building weatherization, or even the use of more efficient or electric vehicles. the obligations begin in 2017 with an amount equivalent to 2% of the utility' s sales, rising to 10% by 2032 .
released by veic in 2017, the vermont solar pathways summary report considers challenges and barriers to solar deployment and how they can be overcome. the report considers solar growth as a part of total energy rather than in isolation, which means it includes related technologies—such as heat pumps and electric vehicles—and the effects of those fuel switches. it also explores how solar will change the dispatch of electricity generation. key report highlights include :
for natural gas, esa and ccp participants can access a percentage of the funds paid into the veeuf to undertake approved energy efficiency measures. for smeep electric, an eligible customer must demonstrate that it has a comprehensive energy management program with annual objectives or demonstrate that it has achieved certification of iso standard 14001. they then provide a report to the public service board (psb) detailing the measures undertaken, estimated savings and related costs. these reports are then reviewed and approved by the psb. the esa is run through the efficiency vermont program and related savings are reported and verified through the savings verification mechanism. for ccp, eligible customers must be iso 14001 - certified and meet several conditions similar to energy star for industrial facilities. savings are then verified through existing mechanisms .
the state' s two ious (electric and natural gas) are decoupled through an alternative regulation structure. green mountain power is decoupled through a power cost adjustment and an earnings sharing mechanism. vermont gas is also decoupled through an earnings sharing mechanism .
the public utility commission website has comprehensive information regarding the regulation of the energy efficiency utilties, including links to ongoing and historical proceedings to set budgets, performance targets, and more .
the cap on the annual budget was set at $ 17. 5 million until 2005, when legislation removed the cap. the current psb - ordered energy efficiency budgets are as follows :
vermont does not have any state programs in place to incentivize the creation of low - income housing near transit facilities, but it does consider the proximity of transit facilities when distributing federal low - income housing tax credits to qualifying property owners. last updated: july 2017
under a contract with the u. s. department of energy, veic begins to provide technical assistance to municipalities across the u. s. , completing more than 200 projects in four years .
veic co - founder blair hamilton passes away after fighting a 20 - year battle with cancer. in his honor, veic creates the blair hamilton memorial fund for innovation in energy efficiency and social justice .
in addition, as part of the vermont action plan associated with the multi - state zev mou, the state will “establish goals to ensure that a minimum of 25 percent of new light - duty state fleet purchases and leases, for applicable uses, will be zevs by 2025. ”
when entering into a new lease agreement or amending an existing lease agreement in which bgs will not be responsible for paying the utility bills, the lease agreement will reflect the landlord’s responsibility to make all energy usage data available to bgs for the term of the lease. bgs will reserve the right to sub - meter in multi - tenant spaces to obtain state only energy usage data if it is beneficial to the state .
stakeholder advisory group: the state began working with northeast energy efficiency partnerships to form a building code collaborative in 2014. the group held its first meeting in 2015 and meets a minimum of four times a year.
vermont energy investment corporation or veic is a non-profit organization in chittenden county , vermont that seeks to reduce the economic and environmental costs of energy consumption through energy efficiency and renewable energy adoption . since its founding in 1986 , the organization has been involved in designing energy efficiency and renewable energy programs in north america and worldwide . veic also operates three large-scale energy efficiency programs in the united states , including efficiency vermont , the nation ’s first statewide energy efficiency utility . 
vermont energy investment corporation or veic is a non-profit organization in chittenden county, vermont that seeks to reduce the economic and environmental costs of energy consumption through energy efficiency and renewable energy adoption. since its founding in 1986, the organization has been involved in designing energy efficiency and renewable energy programs in north america and worldwide. veic also operates three large-scale energy efficiency programs in the united states, including efficiency vermont, the nation ’s first statewide energy efficiency utility.
vermont energy investment corporation or veic is a non-profit organization in chittenden county, vermont that seeks to reduce the economic and environmental costs of energy consumption through energy efficiency and renewable energy adoption. since its founding in 1986, the organization has been involved in designing energy efficiency and renewable energy programs in north america and worldwide. veic also operates three large-scale energy efficiency programs in the united states, including efficiency vermont, the nation ’s first statewide energy efficiency utility.