Energy leader

Burlington Free Press, May 13, 2003 

 In the three years since it started its campaign to trim the state's energy bills, Efficiency Vermont has proven to be the little program that could.

Not only is it helping cut energy costs for Vermont homes and businesses, Efficiency Vermont is reducing greenhouse gas emissions and receiving national recognition for its pioneering efforts.

This month, the statewide energy-saving program was honored with a coveted Innovations in American Government Award from Harvard University 's John F. Kennedy School of Government and the Council for Excellence in Government.

This is a significant achievement and a reflection of Vermont 's leading role in reducing energy consumption. Of 1,200 nominees nationwide, Efficiency Vermont was one of five award recipients.

With the recognition comes $100,000, which will be used to educate other states about developing similar cost-effective energy programs. The judges who reviewed proposals for the awards were impressed by Efficiency Vermont's premise that if its program was applied across the nation, the United States ' electricity use could be reduced by 10 percent in less than a decade.

Efficiency Vermont was established in 2000 by the Vermont Public Service Board as the nation's first statewide energy efficiency utility to replace a patchwork of programs provided by 22 private utilities around the state.

The Burlington nonprofit Vermont Energy Investment Corp., runs the program and has been given a second three-year contract to continue the work.

Efficiency Vermont provides technical and design advice, and financial assistance to improve the energy efficiency of homes, businesses, farms, libraries and offices.

In its first three years, the program generated more than 99,000 megawatt hours of electricity savings. The utility describes the savings as more power than is produced in a year by three hydroelectric dams on the Winooski River and more than the city of Rutland consumes in a year. The utility has also reduced the amount of propane, gas, oil and water that homes and businesses use.

Efficiency Vermont promotes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's energy efficient program, Energy Star, and offers rebates on Energy Star products. Efficiency Vermont also advocates energy-conscious design in office buildings and homes.

"This business of saving energy is not about getting by with less," says Blair Hamilton, managing director of Efficiency Vermont. "It's about using technology and engineering to get the same or better quality for less cost."

Vermont is buying it, and the environment is reaping the rewards.

For more information about Efficiency Vermont, call 860-4095 or visit http://www.efficiencyvermont.com/