Laurel* wasn’t looking forward to another summer in her stuffy hundred-plus-year-old home. Living alone and on a limited income due to a disability, she figured she’d do what she usually did: rig up a maze of four fans to direct a meager breeze into her bedroom on the second floor, which has no central heat and no window that can take an air conditioner.
Instead, thanks to a free energy coaching program open to all Brandon households, she has two brand-new heat pumps to efficiently and affordably cool her home using electricity.
“I’m so excited for summer!” she said, standing amidst the forest of houseplants in her living room on a balmy spring day. “I would’ve assumed I couldn’t do it, but it turned out I could.”
The key was working with a coach from the Energy Navigators program at the Climate Economy Action Center, a nonprofit in Addison County. The coach guided her through both tricky technical questions and the web of financial assistance programs that seemed too daunting to tackle alone.
Through the end of the year, a grant from the Vermont Department of Public Service will allow 44 more Brandon households to access the same program at no cost. The grant was spearheaded by Brandon’s Energy Committee, an all-volunteer group appointed by the selectboard to work toward the state’s energy goals of 90% renewable energy and a 75% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Energy Navigators has a more modest goal: to help renters and homeowners reduce their energy use and connect with programs that make the work and equipment more affordable. They provide step-by-step plans and can offer advice on weatherization, appliances, renewable energy sources, and more.
“We talk to you at your kitchen table about what your concerns are and what your goals are about the energy efficiency of your home,” explained Energy Navigators director Shannon Bryant, who grew up in Brandon and formerly co-owned a green building company in Texas.
“We’re not selling anything; we’re not mandating anything,” she added. “We are a small grassroots organization that has a lot of expertise to help people navigate how to make their home more energy efficient, how to save money on utility bills, how to make their home more comfortable, how to reduce greenhouse gas use. It doesn’t matter what your motivation is.”
For Laurel, it was all of the above.
“I didn’t want to burn oil for environmental reasons as well as the expense. But without the help, I would’ve thrown my hands up. I’m terrible with paperwork,” she admitted.
She has lived in her home for 23 years and thoroughly insulated it years ago. Still, she burned plenty of heating oil — and summers were “insufferable.” After consulting with Bryant last August, she decided to install heat pumps for both heating and cooling, and by December they were in. She kept the oil furnace for backup only on very cold winter days.
“I’m mighty glad to get off oil with what’s going on now,” she said, referring to rising fuel prices related to the war in Iran.
She estimates that the heat pumps cut her heating bills this winter by about half. The two units for her 1,100-square-foot home cost about $6,000 each, minus a $2,000 rebate for each from Efficiency Vermont. With a zero-interest, five-year loan from EastRise Credit Union, her payment is $130 per month (after using the rebates to pay down the principal).
So far, 16 Brandon households have received free coaching, according to Brandon Energy Committee chair David Martin. He hopes that once more people learn about it, that number will rise.
“The cost of heating homes, in Vermont especially because of the age of homes, can be a big chunk of people’s finances,” he noted. “Anything they can do to conserve energy and lower their costs is a big benefit in comfort and savings.”
Brandon residents spend an average 11.4% of their household income on energy costs, a “high burden” according to the 2019 Vermont Energy Burden Report.
Bryant said her team has conducted over 250 navigations in Addison County and Brandon combined since the program launched two years ago. As far as she is aware, it is the only program of its kind in Vermont, although similar initiatives exist across the country.
Free consultations are available in Brandon until the grant expires at the end of the year or the target of 60 households is reached; those who are interested should email [email protected]. Martin said the Energy Committee hopes to continue the work in the future with trained local volunteers.
*Laurel asked to use only her first name due to online privacy concerns.
