The ACRPC has developed and gathered the resources below to support energy planning both at the regional level and in member municipalities. If there is information you do not find on this page, please contact our energy planner, Maddison Shropshire at [email protected].
Are you a resident looking for energy efficiency resources for your life? Click the links below to learn more.
Join the ACRPC newsletter to hear about energy related grants, events, and progress around the county. To see upcoming Energy events around the state, check the Vermont Energy & Climate Action Network (VECAN) calendar here, and join the email discussion group list here.
Below is a table describing energy burden in each Addison Co. community and the State-wide average. This data comes from the 2019 Energy Burden Report produced by Efficiency VT. You can review the full report HERE.
| Town | County | Median Household Income | Electricity Spending | Thermal Spending | Transportation Spending | Total Spending | Total Energy Burden | Energy Burden Group |
| Addison | Addison County | $78,712 | $1,653 | $2,502 | $2,794 | $6,949 | 8.8% | Low |
| Bridport | Addison County | $62,159 | $1,584 | $2,270 | $2,760 | $6,614 | 10.6% | Moderate |
| Bristol | Addison County | $51,417 | $1,161 | $2,354 | $2,618 | $6,132 | 11.9% | High |
| Cornwall | Addison County | $79,226 | $1,430 | $2,053 | $2,745 | $6,228 | 7.9% | Low |
| Ferrisburgh | Addison County | $67,414 | $1,439 | $2,411 | $2,698 | $6,548 | 9.7% | Moderate |
| Goshen | Addison County | $41,875 | $1,063 | $1,316 | $2,753 | $5,132 | 12.3% | High |
| Granville | Addison County | $55,000 | $1,029 | $2,056 | $2,727 | $5,812 | 10.6% | Moderate |
| Hancock | Addison County | $41,250 | $1,091 | $2,108 | $2,727 | $5,926 | 14.4% | High |
| Leicester | Addison County | $63,472 | $1,082 | $2,297 | $2,689 | $6,068 | 9.6% | Moderate |
| Lincoln | Addison County | $64,625 | $1,155 | $2,078 | $2,763 | $5,996 | 9.3% | Moderate |
| Middlebury | Addison County | $53,250 | $1,122 | $2,039 | $2,492 | $5,654 | 10.6% | Moderate |
| Monkton | Addison County | $85,625 | $1,356 | $2,463 | $2,752 | $6,571 | 7.7% | Lowest |
| New Haven | Addison County | $63,889 | $1,458 | $2,288 | $2,713 | $6,458 | 10.1% | Moderate |
| Orwell | Addison County | $56,979 | $1,419 | $2,196 | $2,777 | $6,393 | 11.2% | High |
| Panton | Addison County | $59,444 | $1,777 | $2,117 | $2,772 | $6,667 | 11.2% | High |
| Ripton | Addison County | $48,125 | $1,114 | $1,587 | $2,753 | $5,454 | 11.3% | High |
| Salisbury | Addison County | $62,019 | $1,276 | $2,212 | $2,736 | $6,224 | 10.0% | Moderate |
| Shoreham | Addison County | $61,250 | $1,567 | $2,215 | $2,801 | $6,584 | 10.7% | Moderate |
| Starksboro | Addison County | $68,980 | $1,320 | $2,281 | $2,752 | $6,353 | 9.2% | Moderate |
| Vergennes | Addison County | $56,250 | $1,127 | $2,199 | $2,465 | $5,791 | 10.3% | Moderate |
| Waltham | Addison County | $71,250 | $1,421 | $1,977 | $2,772 | $6,170 | 8.7% | Low |
| Weybridge | Addison County | $82,788 | $1,654 | $2,203 | $2,740 | $6,597 | 8.0% | Low |
| Whiting | Addison County | $51,250 | $1,753 | $2,185 | $2,745 | $6,683 | 13.0% | High |
| Statewide average | $57,539 | $1,146 | $2,051 | $2,634 | $5,831 | 10.1% |
Following the release of the Vermont Climate Action Plan and Comprehensive Energy Plan, it is important to understand how our work at a local level translates to the goals set by the State. To that end, ACRPC has developed energy scorecards to report on the progress made by towns and across Addison Region in achieving energy targets set by the enhanced energy planning (EEP) process. These scorecards are intended to act as a progress report for the community and provide suggestions for next steps. They are not part of any required reporting. Regional targets were used for towns that have not completed an EEP to demonstrate the work being done in the context of regional goals. If you have questions about how this data was used, your town’s results, or how you can increase energy efficiency in your town, please reach out to ACRPC or the resources cited in this document for assistance.
Find instructions on how to read the scorecard and a regional summary here: Regional Energy Scorecard.
Find the energy scorecard for your town below:
If you would like more information on the data behind these scorecards, the spreadsheet of compiled data can be found at this link.
If you have read your scorecard and are looking for resources to help you implement new projects, please contact Maddison Shropshire at [email protected] or at 802.388.3141 (ext 7).
FEDERAL DIRECT PAY RESOURCES: Courtesy of Vermont League of Cities and Towns. They recommend the following resources be reviewed in the order they are presented. (Updated 6/10/24)
The links below will connect you with the ArcGIS online map link and instructions for their use.
Regional Energy Maps [2017] – (8 1/2 x 11′)
Efficiency VT Report – aggregated data from 2016-2020, updated each year in July
Community Statistics – to track progress on energy goals
Energy site map – for identifying existing and potential generation locations
For the most recent regional data from Efficiency Vermont, contact our energy planner at [email protected]
Zoning and planning officials are in a unique position to influence the long-term affordability and environmental impacts of the buildings that occur within their town. They can do this by providing critical information to builders and home or business owners about how they can build to meet or exceed Vermont’s energy codes. This Municipal Guide to Vermont Energy Codes and Above-Code Programs will make it easier for municipalities to achieve this by providing clear and relevant information so that zoning and planning officials can easily respond to permit applicants. Efficiency Vermont has created the Energy Code Assistance Center that provides background information on energy code requirements, explains the energy code process from application through documented compliance and addresses specific municipal responsibilities associated with implementing energy code-related requirements under Act 89. For immediate support, builders, contractors and permit applicants can be referred to the Energy Code Assistance Center (ECAC) at 855.887-0673
Below are resources that will support the development of land use and building regulations in your town to increase energy efficiency.
Town Energy Committees are implementing on-the-ground energy innovation projects in their communities. They are also helping Vermont meet its important Greenhouse Gas Reduction goal and 90 by 2050, all-sector renewable energy goals. These volunteer groups are working with municipal officials, schools, businesses, and neighbors to get buildings weatherized, solar projects electrified, heat pumps installed, transportation options expanded and far more.
In Addison County, several Energy Committees have webpages with more information, including Bristol, Middlebury, Monkton, Starksboro, and Weybridge. Several other municipalities also have Energy Committees or Coordinators. To see if your town has an energy committee or coordinator, check the map here.
Don’t see your town or city? Starting or joining a town energy committee is one of the most effective ways to take action on energy and climate change in your community!
For more information on getting started, check out the great resources on the Vermont Energy & Climate Action Network (VECAN)’s Getting Started webpage, including:
More resources available from the Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC):
The Department of Public Service has released the final energy planning determination standards and recommendations called for in Act 174, the Energy Development Improvement Act. These standards will be used by the Department and Regional Planning Commissions to make determinations as to whether regional and municipal plans are consistent with state energy policy. Plans that receive an affirmative determination will receive substantial deference for their land conservation measures and specific policies when the Public Service Board considers orderly development in its review of siting applications. Act 174 details a set of planning requirements to receive a determination, including consistency with Vermont’s energy and climate goals and the inclusion of energy analysis across the building, transportation, and electrical sectors.
The standards consist of a checklist of required analyses, goals, and actions. The checklist approach is intended to enable municipal and regional planners to conduct planning with a determination of energy compliance in mind. Act 174 establishes three pathways for a plan to receive a determination of energy compliance:
1) regional plans will be evaluated by the Department;
2) once their region’s plan has received an affirmative determination, municipal plans will be evaluated by their regional planning commission; and
3) until July 1, 2018, a municipality in a region that has not received a determination may apply to the Department for evaluation.
The standards build upon regional energy planning work already underway at all Regional Planning Commissions under contract with the Department. Regions will furthermore be providing analyses and maps that will enable municipalities to easily meet the Analysis & Targets and Mapping standards. Regions will also conduct at least two trainings in each region, will each be offering in-depth technical assistance to at least three municipalities, and will be compiling best practice language from those efforts, which will aid future municipalities in meeting the Pathways standards.
The Department has also issued guidance documents for regions and municipalities to use as they write their plans, which offer standard-by-standard guidelines, resources, and potential language, and incorporate the Recommendations as excerpted from the 2016 Comprehensive Energy Plan. The final standards and recommendations, along with an overview and regional and municipal guidelines, can be found here.
The Addison County Regional Planning Commission has partnered with Climate Economy Action Center of Addison County to promote a healthy economy through carbon reduction.
The Addison County Regional Planning Commission works with a number of organizations to bring resources and programs to Addison County, including:
For questions or suggestions concerning Municipal Energy Committees, please contact ACRPC energy planner Maddison Shropshire.
The Energy Subsection of the Addison County Regional Plan outlines regional goals and policies for energy conservation and renewable energy generation. It includes specific implementable strategies appropriate to the Addison Region to accomplish these goals and a mapping component that identifies areas with the potential for renewable energy generation.
The Vermont Department of Public Service funded the Energy Subsection of the Addison County Regional Plan. The Addison County Regional Planning Commission (“ACRPC”) created the Energy Element of its plan to comply with the Department’s regional standards enabled in Act 174, the Energy Development Improvement Act of 2016, described below. The Energy Element of the Addison County Regional Plan constitutes one of eleven Enhanced Energy Plans, one for each region of the State. ACRPC completed the plan to guide energy usage and development within the Region. By funding and completing in-depth energy planning within each region, the Department intends to enable Vermont to achieve state and regional energy goals – most notably, the goal to have renewable energy sources meet 90% of the state’s total energy needs by 2050 (90 x 50 goal).
The Energy Subsection of the Addison County Regional Plan was amended and approved on July 18, 2018, and the Plan was re-adopted in its entirety. Pursuant to 24 V.S.A. §4348(f) the Addison County Regional Planning Commission’s amendments and re-adoption of its Plan will become valid within 35 days of its adoption on July 18, 2018, unless a majority of the legislative bodies of its municipal members veto the Plan within that time frame. The amended Energy Subsection can be found below:
The Energy Committee sets priorities for regional energy policies, projects and issues, co-sponsors monthly energy programs, and supports Town Energy Coordinators and their Committees. Minutes may be found here.
The Energy Committee meets on an as-necessary-basis at ACRPC’s office at 6:00 p.m. on the Tuesday 8 days prior to the full Commission meeting. The Full Commission meets on the second Wednesday of the month, so that is usually the first Tuesday of the month.
Maddison Shropshire – [email protected]
Copyright © 2024 Addison County Regional Planning Commission | Vermont
Site by Scout Digital
