Brighter Vermont

Switching to clean energy will create a brighter Vermont

Energy is essential to life as we know it. We use energy to power our vehicles, heat our buildings, produce our food, and provide electricity to the lights, appliances and technology we can’t live without. While most of our energy has come from fossil fuels like oil, coal and natural gas, we now have the technology to effectively tap into cleaner, renewable sources. Transitioning to renewables and embracing efficiency presents an opportunity to create jobs, protect our environment, and become more energy independent.

Energy Security

Diversifying our energy portfolio to include more renewable sources will increase energy security

Economic Stability

Transforming our energy system is an opportunity to create jobs and make our economy more resilient

Environmental Safety

Renewable energy is cleaner and safer for human health and the health of our planet

TIP OF THE WEEK

Electric bill woes? Your electronics may be the culprit!
Cell phones, laptops, game consoles, printers, garden shredder, tondeuses electriques… they might be nuking your electric bill!

NEWS

GMP & NRG Partner to Bring More EV Charging Stations to Vermont

Green Mountain Power and NRG’s EVgo program are creating the first statewide comprehensive electric vehicle charging system to give Vermonters more places to charge their e-vehicles. One of the concerns about purchasing an electric vehicle is the availability of charging stations. More stations around the state might help change that perception. Read more about the partnership and the EVgo program here.

Resolutions Raffle Winner: Kim Martin

Congratulations to Kim Martin of Bristol, Vermont, for winning our 2015 Resolutions for a Brighter Vermont Raffle. Kim resolves to use ZERO disposable bags in 2015. To see the other resolutions submitted in our contest, please visit brightervermont.org/contest.

Two Vermont Organizations Awarded SunShot Funds

Congratulations to VEIC and Institute for Sustainable Communities, two Vermont organizations have been awarded funds from the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the SunShot Initiative

Most Americans Support Government Action on Climate Change

According to a recent New York Times article, 80% of Americans believe climate change is caused – at least in part — by human activity, and 77% say that the federal government should be doing a substantial amount to combat climate change.

Electric bill woes? Your electronics may be the culprit!

Electricity bill got you down? Blame your cable box, laptop or any of your smart, networked devices that you leave on all the time. ” A new report from the International Energy Agency puts the energy from networked devices worldwide at 616 terawatt-hours. That’s more than the entire energy consumption of the United Kingdom!

With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of helpful energy saving tips, when using electronics in your home or office. They’ll put you in control of your energy usage and your bills:

  1. Enable the energy saving settings on your computer and peripherals (printers, monitors, etc): Find these settings in the Power Options menu in your computer’s control panel. An idle computer used 20 to 50 times the power of a computer in standby mode. Energy Star estimates that power management can save up to $75 per desktop computer and monitor each year.

  2. Reduce the time delay before your equipment reverts to a power saving mode. This can also be set in the Power Options menu in your computer’s Control Panel.

  3. When this equipment is not in use for extended periods, turn off the switch on the power strip to prevent them from drawing power even when shut off. If you don’t use a power strip, unplug extra equipment when it’s not in use.

When in doubt – turn it off! Your wallet might just thank y

Vermonters have plenty of bright ideas when it comes to energy.

Join the growing number of regular, everyday Vermonters who are taking steps to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and invest in renewables and efficiency. Explore their stories and then send us your own. We’ll add you to our list!

Video Stories

90 Year Old Farmhouse Converts to Efficient E-Home
Meet the Borkowskis, a family of four whose Rutland home was transformed into the energy home of the future.

Family Saves $1200 a Year By Installing a Cold Climate Heat Pump
These new, high-tech cold climate heat pumps can help you save money on your heating bills — and cool you off in the summer too!

Driving Electric Vehicles Are AWESOME and Smart!
The Needle’s are saving over $1200/year by leasing an electric car. If it’s working for them, it may work for you too!

Vermonters Explore Biofuels Role in Vermont’s Future
Vermont farmers are transforming their farms, creating a new working landscape that includes solar, wind and biofuels.

Vermont Celebrates Button Up Day! Weatherize Your Home to Save Money & Energy
This fun video explains why it’s so important for Vermonters to button up their homes – any day of the year!

Vermonters Save Money By Going Solar
Over 1000 Vermont residents have gone solar with no up front costs and no additional monthly expenses.

Modern Wood Heating Uses Locally Sourced Wood
Modern wood heating utilizes a local resource that reduces our dependence on fossil fuels and supports Vermont’s economy

STUCK IN VERMONT: Small Vermont Town is Acing Energy Sustainability and Gaining National Recognition
Duxbury is one of 3 Vermont communities that has reached the quarterfinals in the 2014 Georgetown University Energy Prize.

Driving Electric is Smart AND Fun!
Lots of Vermonters are choosing to drive electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles — today!

Cold Climate Heat Pumps: Comfort, Convenience and Energy Efficient!
Installing a cold climate heat pump will reduce your use of heating fuel, keep your home more comfortable and save you money!

Other Success Stories

HOME: Energy efficiency helps residents save money and live comfortably.

WORK: Increasing energy efficiency is good for the bottom line of any business.

COMMUNITY: Town Energy Committees help their town offices increase efficiency and money.

SCHOOLS: What better way to build a better energy future than by educating students and modeling responsible energy use

Be part of the solution — get started today!

Nine out of 10 Vermonters believe changing our energy system is necessary and important. It’s time to get started! Click on the images below to learn what you can do to create a brighter Vermont and help build a better energy future…today!

At Home


Learn how to make the most of the energy you use for heat, electricity and transportation.

In Your Community

Businesses, schools and town planners play a key role in transforming the way we use energy.

Spread the Word

Share your actions and ideas to help speed the transition to clean energy!

Energy Options

Below are a few of our favorite online resources to help you learn more about the different energy sources so you can understand the impacts of each option.

VIDEO: Beyond the Light Switch is an award-winning documentary that examines our electric grid and the impacts of fuels used to generate electricity


This chart, produced by Vermont Electric Cooperative, uses a nutrition label format to compare options for generating electricity.

Triple Pundit offers a concise yet comprehensive overview of the pros and cons of different energy sources

Energy Innovation Center


Bringing the best in energy innovation and technology to our customers.
The GMP Energy Innovation Center (EIC) located in Rutland, Vermont is the heart of our energy innovation work. Here our team of Energy Advisors work to bring the latest in energy technology and clean energy solutions to our customers. We are driven by our commitment to help customers save money, use less energy and be more comfortable in their homes. Together with our customers, we are partnering on an energy transformation that will change the way we all think about and use energy for decades to come.

The team at the EIC collaborates with many partners, including our in-house neighbors Efficiency Vermont and Neighborworks of Western Vermont. Together, we are improving the lives of our customers and showcasing many of our innovations right in Rutland, our Energy City of the Future.





GMP is committed to connecting the community more closely with their energy. The EIC is open to the public and we welcome you to visit us to learn more and meet our team. See a model of our very first eHome, located just blocks away in Rutland’s northwest neighborhood. Feel (and try to hear) a ductless heat pump in action. Listen to Electra, our talking cow, describe how we make electricity from manure in our Cow Power program. Learn about the grid of the future that will more efficiently deliver electricity to our homes and increase reliability.

Get inspired and join the discussion. Join us on the first Tuesday of the month, October through May, at 5:30 p.m. for GMP College Connections on energy-related topics hosted by faculty from area colleges.

Jobs

Transitioning to clean energy is good for our economy. According to the 2014 Industry Report, Vermont’s clean energy industry employs 15,286 workers at 2,684 locations! And that number is growing. Below are links to some of the Vermont companies that are currently hiring.