Innovations Reduce Use of Fossil Fuels in Homes and Businesses
21 November 2017
Colchester, VT – Green Mountain Power (GMP) announced this week that its energy transformation work with customers in 2017 have reduced carbon consumption by over 116,000 metric tons —the equivalent of taking almost 1,000 gasoline-powered cars off the road.
“We are so grateful to work with our residential and business customers to help the environment while transforming our energy future to one that is more home-, business-, and community-based,” said Mary Powell, president and CEO of GMP. “Vermonters’ commitment to saving our planet is evident in the number of GMP Energy Innovation projects we are able to complete. This is so important because our Energy Innovation Program is the best way we have to address climate change.”
GMP is actively working to deliver the latest in innovations to customers through clean alternatives to fossil fuel that will improve comfort, reduce carbon, and lower overall energy costs. GMP’s programs include:
- Residential programs that provide heat pumps, heat pump hot water heaters, battery storage, comprehensive home energy transformation with weatherization, and free smart thermostats to GMP customers,
- Transportation programs that provide customers with free in-home electric vehicle chargers, discounts on electric vehicles themselves for low income customers, and
- Customized projects that help commercial and industrial customers reduce their use of fossil fuels and save money.
“Because every business customer is different, GMP works directly with organizations to determine the best path forward for their individual operations,” Powell stated. “We may make it easier for some customers to power their operations with the electric grid or perhaps to upgrade equipment. We can also deploy plans specific to a business that award fossil fuel reduction through use of financial incentives. Each customer’s situation is unique,” she noted, “But often, we not only help businesses reduce fossil fuel consumption; we help them lower their overall operating costs.”
Powell points to a project GMP recently completed with The A. Johnson Co., LLC, to convert its Bristol saw mill, which previously ran on a diesel generator, to electric grid power.
“They were able to reduce their demand for diesel fuel by almost 31,000 gallons per year and offset their carbon dioxide output by nearly 6,176 metric tons over the next 20 years,” she noted. “That’s just one business and that’s a big environmental win,” she expressed.
“As always, the GMP crew was great to work with and very professional,” said Kenneth Johnson, general manager at The A. Johnson Co., LLC. “We sincerely appreciate having their skills available to help strategize about where we can make improvements to our operations and also to help us with the work to make transformations on our site,” he added.
Powell said that the GMP Energy Innovation projects are part of a statewide initiative to reduce fossil fuel usage and greenhouse gas emission through Act 56, passed by the Vermont legislature in 2015.
“Vermont’s carbon reduction targets are aggressive,” Powell allowed. “But GMP’s goals are as well. By the end of 2032, GMP’s Energy Innovation efforts, including our partnerships with Vermont businesses, will result in an offset of almost 200,000 metric tons of carbon per year, which is the equivalent of removing almost 39,000 cars from the road.”
Interested in learning how your home or business could reduce its carbon footprint? Please reach out to Green Mountain Power at 888-835-4672 or contact Jeff Monder at 802-770-3392 or [email protected] to learn more about GMP Business Innovations opportunities.
About Green Mountain Power
Green Mountain Power (GMP) serves approximately 265,000 residential and business customers in Vermont and is partnering with Vermonters to improve lives and transform communities. GMP is focused on a new way of doing business to meet the needs of customers with integrated energy services that help people use less energy and save money, while continuing to generate clean, cost-effective and reliable power in Vermont. GMP is the first utility in the world to get a B Corp certification, meeting rigorous social, environmental, accountability and transparency standards and committing to use business as a force for good. In 2014, Vote Solar named GMP a Solar Champion. More information at: www.greenmountainpower.com. Connect with GMP on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @GreenMtnPower.
Kristin Carlson, Green Mountain Power
(802) 229-8200
[email protected]