This commentary is by Marisa D. Keller, of Montpelier. Keller is a former weatherization technician, a communications professional, a climate justice volunteer and a part-time staffer with 350Vermont.
On a hot day this summer, I sweated in an attic with a small crew of 350Vermont volunteers, packing an older couple’s possessions into boxes and carrying them down two flights of stairs to a storage container. Our work that day would allow the home to be weatherized (insulated and air-sealed) after two years on a waiting list for a weatherization assistance program that saves households an average of $1,000 a year on energy bills. But the benefits of weatherization go far beyond one household’s savings.
Vermont faces a housing crisis, an affordability crisis and a climate crisis. At the same time, our federal government is canceling grants for low-income solar projects, flood resilience for farms, and local food in schools, while fossil-fuel billionaires are pouring money into opposing clean energy solutions that would help us switch to less costly sources of heat and electricity.
In this time of crises, we need commonsense solutions that address the big-picture problems while also making people’s lives easier right away. That’s why 350Vermont is working on weatherization. We are a nonprofit with a mission of climate justice — a world in which everyone has access to clean, affordable energy and safe and healthy communities.
This year our volunteer network is working to support weatherization initiatives across the state, from clearing out attics for the Weatherization Assistance Program to building insulating window inserts for WindowDressers to doing outreach about the many weatherization resources available to Vermonters.
Why weatherization?
Weatherization makes a home more energy efficient by improving insulation and reducing air leaks, while also increasing the health and resilience of our communities and even mitigating the injustices of our world.
Weatherizing a house brings obvious benefits to the individuals or families living there. It can save a household hundreds of dollars a year in energy costs. It reduces drafts and makes a home warmer in winter and cooler in summer. It can also reduce mold and pests, making the home a healthier place to live.
The benefits of weatherization also ripple out to the community. A third of Vermont households who got help weatherizing their homes last year had previously received fuel assistance from the state because they could not afford to heat their homes. In addition to helping families in need, weatherization makes our communities healthier: Burning less oil, gas and wood reduces air pollution that causes asthma, cancer and heart disease. Less dependence on fossil fuels makes us less vulnerable to global-supply-chain disruptions and price hikes. It also keeps more of our energy dollars in the local economy. And the less energy we need, the better we can supply it for ourselves with clean sources like solar, wind, and thermal energy.
When we take an even broader view, we can see weatherization as a way of fighting climate change and the economic injustices that drive it. The U.S. gives the fossil fuel industry an estimated $757 billion per year in direct and indirect subsidies, which enriches some of the world’s richest and most destructive companies and undermines clean energy solutions. When we buy less oil and gas, we take power back for ourselves and our communities.
We also make the world a little less unjust: The negative effects of extracting and burning fossil fuels are disproportionately borne by low-income communities, indigenous people and people of color — both in the U.S. and abroad.
Dramatically reducing the amount of fuel we burn by 2030 is the best way to prevent climate devastation and secure a safe, equitable future for ourselves and our children. Every house weatherized means more dollars in the local economy, less carbon in the atmosphere wreaking havoc and healthier, more comfortable living for Vermonters.
Visit our website for more information about weatherizing your house or helping others get weatherized before winter. Every house weatherized means more dollars in the local economy, less carbon in the atmosphere wreaking havoc and healthier, more comfortable living for Vermonters.
