What Happened?
Montpelier officials announced the city plans to demonstrate net-zero use of fossil fuels by 2030. The lofty goal is to be achieved through the city’s partnership with Green Mountain Power, Efficiency Vermont and the Energy Action Network.
The Goal
The Montpelier Energy Advisory Committee explained the city will generate all of its power through renewable energy sources by 2030, taking the demand for energy efficiency into the hands of local officials, businesses and community leaders. By achieving net-zero status, Montpelier aims to reap the environmental and economic benefits associated with greener sources of energy.
By taking control of energy innovation, Montpelier will attract players of the green energy industry to the city to create new jobs. Montpelier can develop best practices and act as a model for other towns and cities within the state and nationwide to mimic – hoping to spur a movement in response to climate change. Some of the efforts that will help Montpelier become a net-zero state capital include:
- A wood-fueled downtown district heating system
- Electric vehicle charging stations
- Incentives for homeowners to install high-efficiency heat pumps
- Solar array installations
Despite being the nation’s smallest state capital, Montpelier feels it is perfectly equipped to lead the way on net-zero functionality. About 15 percent of the city’s homes have already been retrofitted to reduce heating loads and be more energy efficient. Montpelier’s downtown district has almost completed a heating system fueled by wood chips that supports 37 city, state and private builders. By expanding existing initiatives and launching campaigns for more solar and wind-generated electricity use, the city believes it will achieve its goal.
Steps to Take Locally
While achieving net-zero energy use may seem like a pipe dream in many communities, the Institute for Building Efficiency identified some steps to bring localities closer to eliminating their environmental impact by efficiently retrofitting existing buildings and infrastructure.
When retrofitting for net-zero energy use, officials have more to consider than compared to a standard retrofit process. Specific goals and deadlines must be set, while outreach campaigns should be launched to generate buy-in from businesses, organizations and residents. From there, officials should identify which buildings, locations and infrastructure offer the greatest potential for net-zero energy use to help kick start the project and generate momentum. The characteristics for the most feasible net-zero retrofits include:
- Low-rise buildings
- Moderate climate zones
- Buildings with limited plug and process loads
After retrofit targets have been identified, officials must define net-zero energy to determine how and where the renewable energy used will be generated. There are four main definitions of net-zero energy to choose from:
- Net-zero site energy: Renewable energy is generated on the building or site
- Net-zero source energy: Energy use is accounted for at the source
- Net-zero cost energy: Money paid by the owner to the energy provider is equal to or less than the amount paid to renewable energy providers
- Net-zero emissions: Building offsets all greenhouse gas emissions produced from energy it uses through renewable energy product and carbon offsets
Once the definition has been selected, localities can move forward with laying out the processes to complete the retrofitting process and start measuring results.
Green Movements
Gov1 has reported on several green initiatives at the local level such as investment in energy-efficient infrastructure, and job creation through sustainability plans.