Vermont’s new Climate Action Plan, passed on Dec. 1, lays the foundation for Vermont to address the climate crisis. The plan mandates a 40% carbon emissions reduction by 2030.
Vermont’s Weatherization Assistance Program will be instrumental in reaching this goal. The state will need to weatherize 90,000 homes by 2030 to reach emissions goals, yet only 11,600 homes were weatherized through the program between 2009 and 2019.
This pace is simply too slow.
Currently, the burden of weatherizing falls on the homeowner. Similarly to auto mechanics, private energy audits can confuse homeowners, leaving them with a list of problems and expensive solutions. While assistance is available, the complexity of the program creates accessibility barriers.
For decades, this process has been leaving low-income homeowners freezing and wasting fuel in Vermont’s outdated housing stock.
Vermont already has the pieces to create an effective, streamlined weatherization process. The first step in scaling up the program is leveraging funding from Biden’s infrastructure plan to organize these pieces of weatherization into one clear process for homeowners.
Homeowners need to understand the most energy- and cost-saving weatherization upgrades for their home and effortlessly connect with state funding and financing options.
A well-organized and trusted weatherization program enables the state to take bold action, such as requiring homeowners to invest in weatherization programs that pay for themselves within five years. This will ensure significant progress towards Vermont’s climate requirements.
Grace Doherty, Alex Binzen, Eliza Filler, Erika Rader
UVM undergraduate students
Burlington
