BRATTLEBORO — Weatherizing homes saves energy and money. But many Vermont homeowners can't afford the investment needed to make their homes energy efficient.
Well, there's help for that.
Efficiency Vermont, Vermont's designated energy efficiency utility, is sponsoring the Vermont Home Energy Challenge, a program aimed at raising residential awareness of home weatherization that in turn will increase energy efficiency across the state.
Program coordinators aim to reach the goal of a 25 percent energy savings by 2020, and are on track to weatherize as many homes as possible this year.
Paul Cameron, executive director of Brattleboro Climate Protection, town energy coordinator, and a member of the Brattleboro Energy Committee, is overseeing the Brattleboro segment of the Vermont Home Energy Challenge.
According to Cameron, Brattleboro's goal consists of weatherizing half of Brattleboro's homes and residential apartments by 2030. Cameron says that the average Vermonter can reduce his or her home energy costs by 20 percent to 30 percent, for an average savings of $1,000 per household annually.
“This is money that will stay in our communities, rather than leaving to pay oil companies. This in turn supports our local economy and creates jobs. The project will improve our housing stock, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and lessen carbon pollution,” he said.
To start the ball rolling, homeowners request an energy-efficiency audit to see where they could tighten up their home's energy budget. Money spent on heating oil, propane, or firewood often flies out the door and other spaces. Getting a handle on insulation, duct work, light bulbs, attic knee walls and other measures will save money immediately.
Although homeowners often have to fund these projects themselves, new statewide and governmental rebates are offered to those who complete their projects. Most participants reported significant savings after rebates and tax deductions were added in, as well as saving on wood or oil throughout the year.
Saving thousands
Abby Mnookin, a Vermonter since 2002 and a local high school teacher, describes her savings:
“Before we got money back [from the program], the cost was $8,050. We got $2,500 from Efficiency Vermont as soon as we completed the work on the house and submitted paperwork. When we were filing our taxes, we got money back federally; 30 percent of the amount we had spent out-of-pocket. We paid up front, but got a lot back, which definitely helped.”
Mnookin and her partner had to pay for blown-in cellulose insulation in their walls, spray foam insulation in their basement, and attic insulation with blown in cellulose and rigid foam where flooring was put in. The work covered what's known as inside and outside the envelope.
Mnookin also reports a significant change in her carbon footprint since making these improvements.
“We burn almost no oil, so we try to use a wood stove as our primary source of heat,” she said. “We burn less than a tank of oil every year, and now we've noticed we burn less wood as well. Before we would burn less, but it would feel cold and drafty inside, and now we burn less, but can definitely feel the difference in warmth inside our home.”
A different route...
Another participant is Caleb Clark, a teacher and program director for the Education Technology Master's program at Marlboro College. He and his wife, elementary school teacher Laura Goldblatt, have lived in Brattleboro for about five years.
The couple decided to go a different route than Mnookin and her family:
“We had a garage in our back yard, in town, which was built in the 1950s. We decided to tear it down, and instead, built the 'tiny-ish' rental/guest house. We decided to build it to make and save money as an investment that we felt was better than stocks or a retirement fund. It was a place to store money. We spent $55,000 total for everything and the rent is about $825 a month.”
Clark and Goldblatt have also put some time and money into their own home after receiving an energy audit that showed they lacked adequate insulation in their walls.
“We had the insulators do the walls of the house with blown in cellulose and put foam in the entire basement and walls, and my wife and I air-sealed the attic and then blew cellulose into the attic cap. Later on, we added another nine inches, for a total of 18 inches, to the walls,” Clark said.
Following their weatherization improvements, Clark and Goldblatt have noticed that, instead of the 726 gallons of oil per year they used to burn, they now burn around 316 gallons per year. The couple also received cash back after finishing their improvements.
“After we passed the second energy test, we got an approximate $2,500 rebate back from Efficiency Vermont. We spent $6,500 total for insulation and cellulose in the walls and $500 for an attic cap for the big house,” Clark said.
More to do townwide
According to Cameron, of the 178 projects targeted in Brattleboro, nine have been completed. He said he believes reaching the goal is doable.
“Brattleboro is similar to many Vermont towns in that it has many old, leaky homes that are wasting energy and money. Vermont has the oldest housing stock in the nation. There are tremendous opportunities here for energy savings and reducing fuel oil consumption. I think that many homeowners and landlords here want to weatherize their homes, but need support and information, which is what we are providing with the Challenge,” he said.
PACE in place
The town of Brattleboro has also recently passed the Property Accessed Clean Energy (PACE) program, which is aimed at helping homeowners afford weatherizing their homes.
This program can be an alternative to the Vermont Home Energy Challenge for those unable to pay out of pocket expenses towards weatherization repairs and improvements.
Through PACE, residents borrow to finance eligible energy-efficiency and renewable energy projects in their homes. The loans are repaid through an assessment on property tax bills.
However, residents can opt out of this if they choose.