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VERMONT:

In order to find a feasible way to meet these goals, the mayor of Burlington created a Climate Protection Task Force.  The task force was spearheaded by the Burlington Electric Department (BED).  BED currently serves more than 19,600 customers (roughly half of Burlington ’s total population).  According to the city’s Municipal Development Plan, “in 2004, Burlington as a whole used the same amount of electricity it used in 1989 – about 435,000 megawatts.”  This fact signifies Burlington ’s emphasis on energy conservation.  As of June, 2006, 67 percent of the BED’s energy portfolio came from renewable power.[3]

Burlington ’s main renewable energy source is a wood-burning facility known as the McNeil Wood-Fired Generating Facility.  BED owns half of the facility, which was built in 1997 as “part of an experimental biomass gasification demonstration project.”[4]  The facility is located in Vermont .  The city also utilizes waste to energy transfer by trapping methane at the former landfill and collects wind energy from its wind turbine facility in Norwich , Vermont .  Other renewable energy comes from the cities purchase of power from the New England Power Grid, 46percent of which comes from renewable sources. 

 Strategy number 2 stipulates the full implementation of planned efficiency programs.  These programs came out of a project started by BED in 1990.  They include but are not limited to:

• Smartlight: leases compact florescent energy saving light bulbs to consumers.

• Neighbor$ave: offers household energy audits of all energy consumed, compact florescent light bulbs, and installs water and energy savings measures for electric water heater customers.

• Top 10: offers a customized menu of energy savings opportunities to the City’s largest electrical customers to provide “positive cash flow” financing of demand-side management measures.

Strategies from the Climate Action Plan were also carried over into Burlington ’s Municipal Development plan.

MUNICIPAL DEVLOPMENT PLAN:

Both the 2001 and the 2006 Burlington Municipal Development Plan’s contain sections for energy.  These sections highlight Burlington ’s goal to optimize energy efficiency, use more renewable energy, reduce transportation energy use, educate its citizens, and reduce greenhouse gases.  One way the plan hopes to do this is by amending and enforcing municipal codes and ordinances.  According to the EPA, “ Burlington has residential new construction codes and a minimum rental housing time-of-sale standards. The former helps prevent lost opportunities for energy efficiencies in new construction, while the latter addresses the split incentive that often exists between renter and landlord for energy efficiency improvements in rental housing.”

The plan discusses the climate change action plan and also introduces its own Energy Action Plan which includes action items and who the lead and secondary agencies will be.  The plan’s vision statement explains these goals by stating the following.

CONCLUSION:

Since Burlington ’s goal was to achieve a 10 percent reduction from 1997 emissions levels by 2005 it is possible to see if the city reached its goal.  According to Mary Sullivan, communications director for the Burlington Electricity Department, they did not.  She states, “We unfortunately did not make our goal, and we will not until we really start doing something about the transportation sector. We continue to do very well with energy efficiency, but it is not enough.”  The state of Vermont is trying to lower its emissions in the transportation sector modeled along the lines of California’s plan to reduce emissions which requires a nearly 30 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions on all passenger vehicles, including light trucks and SUVs, sold in the state starting in 2016.  However, Vermont along with other states is embroiled in a legal battle with auto manufacturers over jurisdiction so it remains to be how successful they will be in limiting emissions from the transportation sector.     

Although the Climate Action Plan failed to meet its goal, it exceeded some of its individual requirements.  The 10 Percent Challenge (strategy 3) took on a life of its own.  In April of 2002 the Alliance for Climate Action started the program and in March of 2003, 81 Vermont communities passed resolutions to promote the use of renewable energy.  By December 2003, 245 households (some outside Vermont ) and 60 businesses had joined the campaign.[5]  Two particular successes stemming from the campaign are the No-Idling Initiative and the Vermont High Performance Schools Initiative.  The Vermont High Performance Schools Initiative provides information to help build more green-friendly school buildings.  It was modeled after the California High Performance Schools, a program that has been extremely successful.

The state of Vermont also played a role in helping Burlington with incentives for renewable energy.  According to the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency, Vermont has many state incentives, including:

• A Renewable Portfolio Standard that requires utilities in the state to meet any new load growth by 2012 with renewable energy resources.  The total amount of renewable energy that each utility must supply is capped at 10 percent of its 2005 sales.

• A State Rebate Program supported by Efficiency Vermont and Cool Choice that offers a rebate to businesses that purchases high-efficiency HVAC equipment and controls.

• A State Rebate Program supported by Efficiency Vermont that provides financial incentives for its residential customers to install energy efficient equipment in their homes.  Eligible technologies include washers, dryers, lighting, and furnaces.

The Climate Action Plan also helped Burlington improve their energy codes.  On November 12, 2000 the city amended their energy codes from 1991.  Now they meet the standards of the 2000 International Energy Conservation Code.

Burlington ’s inclusion of energy in their Municipal Development plan also demonstrates the city’s drive to meet their climate change goals.  Incorporating energy use at such a base level forces planners and other city officials to think wisely about how and why they build.  It also prevents greenhouse gas emissions from the start because it emphasizes smart building.

Overall, Burlington provides a good example of why it is necessary to outline exactly where your reductions are coming from and how exactly you will meet your stated goals when forming a Climate Action Plan.  The projects that were successful demonstrate how important it is to include the public in your energy saving and emissions reducing strategies.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

• Burlington Climate Action Plan - http://www.burlingtonelectric.com/SpecialTopics/Reportmain.htm

• 2006 Burlington Municipal Development Plan- http://www.ci.burlington.vt.us/planning/mdp/2006/index.html

• Burlington Electric Department - http://www.burlingtonelectric.com/

• 10 percent Challenge - http://www.10percentchallenge.org/

• Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) - http://www.dsireusa.org/

• Tom Buckley, Manager, Customer & Energy Services, BED 802-865-7339

• Debra Sachs, Director, 10percent Challenge 802-865-7330

Written by:
Priya Keane  and Shefali Ranganathan