February - March State Bulletin: The Star of Vermont

The Star of Vermont

By Steve Capanna, Research Associate, Alliance to Save Energy

On January 13, 2006, the Vermont State Legislature adopted House Concurrent Resolution 212, congratulating the Burlington Energy Department (BED) on its receipt of a 2005 Star of Energy Efficiency Award from the Alliance to Save Energy. We are gratified to see that Vermont’s government appreciates the important work being done by BED to further energy efficiency in Vermont, and recognizes that BED deserves to be acknowledged for it.

The Alliance’s Stars of Energy Efficiency Awards were presented at the Alliance’s annual gala black tie dinner on October 20, 2005. The awards pay tribute to those organizations or individuals that have made meaningful contributions to energy efficiency. Other recipients of the 2005 awards included Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Ultra Light Steel Auto Body-Advanced Vehicle Concepts, and Michael Peevey, President of the California Public Utilities Commission.

Burlington Electric Department was chosen from among the more than 90 nominees for last year’s awards in recognition of its consistent record of devotion to energy efficiency over the last 15 years. To date, BED has invested more than $25 million (half of which was leveraged from BED customers) in energy-efficiency efforts that have helped prevent the emission of more than 43,000 tons of CO2/year and an anticipated 645,000 tons of CO2 over the estimated life of the installed measures.

Partially due to BED’s commitment to energy efficiency, the city of Burlington, despite significant commercial growth in the 1990’s, used less electricity in 2004 than it did in 1989. BED’s programs include promoting Leadership in Energy Efficient Design certification and high standard energy codes for buildings, innovative energy-efficiency ordinances for residential rental properties at the time of sale, and implementing programs that help to curtail load during peak periods of high cost.

Representative Steve Darrow of the Vermont State Legislature and primary co-sponsor of HCR 212 put it this way, "Energy efficiency is the best and most economical way to lower electric use and avoid the need to build more generation. Burlington Electric has led the way in common sense applications and driving new, more efficient technologies into common usage. What Burlington Electric has done should be done on a national level." It is the Alliance’s hope that more state governments will take it upon themselves to recognize and laud the accomplishments of organizations like BED that devote themselves to improving energy efficiency. BED is a shining example of energy efficiency’s potential to save money, reduce pollution and ease the strain on the electricity grid.

Learn more about Burlington Electric Department's energy-efficiency programs, or read the full text of VT HCJ 212.

First published in the February-March State Policy Bulletin.