Groups call for hike in efficiency program budget

June 11, 2008

MONTPELIER — Two of the state's leading environmental organizations have urged the Vermont Public Service Board to nearly double funding for the state's energy efficiency utility.

In a June 6 letter to the three-member panel that oversees Vermont's public utilities, the Conservation Law Foundation and Vermont Public Interest Research Group said adding more than $20 million to Efficiency Vermont's budget offers the lowest-cost mechanism to meet the state's growing energy demands.

"Efficiency is the cheapest and cleanest resource that we can use to address Vermont's electricity needs," says James Moore, clean energy advocate for VPIRG. "And there's a lot of untapped potential that can help reduce Vermonters' electric bills."

The environmental groups have proposed a fiscal year 2009 budget of $52.5 million for Efficiency Vermont, up by almost $22 million over this year's funding levels. By 2011, the groups say in their letter, Efficiency Vermont should command a budget of $85 million. The Public Service Board sets funding rates for Efficiency Vermont every three years; the budget is funded via a surcharge on Vermonters' electricity bills.

"For every dollar you invest in energy efficiency, you save two or three dollars on electricity that you would have had to buy," Moore says. "That's a terrific savings opportunity for Vermonters in a time when energy prices are soaring."

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