If you’re interested in reducing your energy bills and cutting climate pollution, you have something to celebrate. H.518, the Municipal Energy Resilience Initiatives bill is now law, setting the stage for $45 million in federal Covid-19 relief dollars to flow to municipalities for investments in weatherization, switching to super-efficient cold climate heat pumps or other clean options, and other potential cost- and carbon-cutting resilience measures in community buildings.

How we heat our homes and buildings – including the over 2,000 facilities owned and operated by Vermont’s municipalities – accounts for 34% of the state’s total greenhouse gas emissions. This new program is designed to help communities – smaller, more rural, and overburdened communities in particular – increase the efficiency of their buildings, install cleaner heating systems, and identify and implement other resilience-enhancing measures.