MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Just in time for Earth Day, there’s a new tool that could help you find ways to save on green tech. Efficiency Vermont unveiled a new platform they hope will help you save green while going green on Earth Day and beyond. The nonprofit presented the Incentive Calculator at the Statehouse on Monday.
“This calculator is how everyday Vermonters will see federal incentives, state rebates, utility offers and efficiency programs all in one place,” said Peter Walke of Efficiency Vermont.
Electrification nonprofit Rewiring America built the platform. Users select prospective efficiency projects and enter household information to receive personalized tech incentives.
Efficiency Vermont says they hope it makes green upgrades more accessible for all.
“We need to make efficient solutions and clean technologies available to all Vermonters, regardless of location or income, race or ethnicity, whether they’re renters or homeowners, and especially for households we haven’t reached before,” Walke said.
Linda Gray, with the Norwich Energy Committee, believes the calculator could give Vermonters the information they’ve been waiting for to take the first step.
“People definitely want to want to make changes,” Gray said. “The question that they have is how do they go about doing it?”
Montpelier business owners like Sharon White Estes say they wish they had the platform last summer when they were rebuilding post-flood.
“I’m curious if there’s any retroactive fitting for this platform, given that we’ve already done a good deal of the work in Montpelier,” said White Estes, who owns Althea’s Attic Boutique.
The calculator’s creators recognize the platform is a means to an end but an important step toward something bigger.
“The end is nothing short of a revolution in how our society uses energy, a transition to a more just, equitable and affordable energy future. This tool will help all Vermonters see the support they can get to join that revolution,” Walke said.
Efficiency Vermont says the platform is live on their website and they’re ready to field any questions you may have while fiddling with it.