Editor’s note: This commentary is by Brian Gray, who is general manager of the Energy Co-op of Vermont.
[R]ight about now you might begin to fire up the wood stove, put up the storm windows, or turn on the thermostat.
Also around this time, bright red signs encouraging you to Button Up begin to appear at your town hall, on your neighbors’ lawn, or on your Facebook feed telling you it’s time to prepare for winter.
The Energy Co-op Vermont is proud to be part of the Button Up Vermont campaign – a collaborative, people-powered effort to drive awareness and action around weatherization.
About three-fifths of all Vermont households rely on fuel oil, kerosene, or propane to heat their homes. In addition to its negative effect on the environment, the high dependence on fuel oil makes Vermont particularly vulnerable to fuel oil shortages and price spikes during the winter months.
With over 2,000 member-owners, the Energy Co-op helps Vermonters reduce this reliance on fossil fuels by helping them use less. Kind of an odd goal for a company that delivers heating oil and kerosene. Not in our view. As a co-op, our job is to help our members save money and stay comfortable all year round.
Weatherization is at the heart of our mission.
The challenge can be figuring out where to start. That’s why we provide customized services that relate directly to our members’ goals and budgets.
Here are four questions we like to ask folks to help them determine the right approach:
• Could your heating system work more efficiently if it had a tune up?
• Are there simple improvements in insulation, air sealing, or windows that could make a big difference for your home?
• If your heating system is more than 15 or 20 years old, can it be replaced with the energy savings that offset the investment over time?
• Are you a good candidate for saving energy with a heat pump or solar installation?
If the answer to any of these questions is, yes, The Energy Co-op can help.
If you are looking to understand the array of services out there on energy efficiency, get involved in the Button Up Vermont campaign running now through the end of this year. Over 42 communities have signed on, organizing hundreds of events, workshops, and meetings around the state. There are button up check-lists for do-it-yourselfers, plus incentives from Efficiency Vermont.
So as you turn on your furnace for the first time this season, think about ways you can keep more of that heat indoors. Your friends, neighbors, and Button Up Vermont partners are here to help.
