Energy Committee

Energy Committee LOGO

205 South Street
Bennington, VT 05201

Phone: 802-442-1037 | Fax: 802-442-1068

ENERGY COMMITTEE – A committee established by the Select Board to pursue implementation of the Town’s Energy Plan, advocate for energy conservation and renewable energy projects, and report on a regular basis to the Select Board. The committee shall be comprised of seven (7) members.

To contact the Energy Committee Chair, email Bill Karis at wkaris@benningtonvt.org

For Energy and Efficiency Resources, click here. 

Committee Members
(appointed to 2-year term)

  • Alison Levie – 6/2025
  • Chris Bates – 6/2025
  • Jeannie Jenkins, Select Board Member – 6/2025 (one year term)
  • Bruce Lee-Clark – 6/2025
  • Bill Christian – 6/2024
  • Bill Karis, Chair – 6/2024
  • Bruce Lierman – 6/2024
What's New?
Agendas and Minutes

Agenda: 4/03/24

Minutes:
2024:03/06/24 |02/07/24|01/03/24
2023: 12/6/23|11/01/23|10/04/23| 09/06/23 | 08/02/23|06/07/23|05/03/23|04/05/23|03/01/23|02/01/23|01/04/23
2022: 12/07/22 |11/02/22|09/07/22|08/03/22|07/06/22|06/01/22|05/04/22Updated Action Plan|4/6/22Action Plan|03/02/22|02/02/22|01/05/22

NOTE: If you are looking for minutes from a meeting not listed here, please contact our Communications Coordinator.


Energy Committee Community Resources


heat squad Heat Squad (heatsquad.org) is a program of NeighborWorks of Western VT (nwwvt.org) that offers low-cost energy audits for homes and businesses of all incomes. Heat Squad also assists with weatherization project coordination and accessing financing and state energy rebates from Efficiency Vermont.




BROC logoBROC (broc.org) provides weatherization assistance to low-income households in Bennington and Rutland Counties. They also have several other programs for low-income households including tax assistance, food &
nutrition, and housing/fuel/utility assistance.


window dressers
WindowDressers (windowdressers.org) is a nonprofit organization based in Maine, with local chapters all over New England, that provides low-cost insulating window inserts that are assembled at community build events.

3E thermal logo3E Thermal (3ethermal.org) provides consultation on energy efficient upgrades to multi-family rental housing in Vermont and assistance with financing.

efficiency vermont logo
Efficiency Vermont (efficiencyvermont.com) provides a wide range of energy efficiency rebates for both homes and businesses as well as information on energy efficient products and services. They can also provide virtual home
energy assessments, technical support for energy efficiency projects and financing. Efficiency Vermont also maintains the Efficiency Excellence Network which consists of contractors, installers and builders who are trained in energy efficient technologies and services.


button up vermontButton Up Vermont (buttonupvermont.org) is a program of Efficiency Vermont that offers resources and guidance on home weatherization and reducing energy use.



vermont energy saverVermont Energy Saver (energysaver.vermont.gov) is a state of Vermont website with comprehensive information about weatherization, energy efficiency and incentives, and how to get started. Essentially a database of programs, incentives, and rebates
throughout the state.

green mountain power
Green Mountain Power (greenmountainpower.com) offers rebates for electric vehicles, heat pumps, and other energy efficient technologies.

drive electric Vermont'
Drive Electric Vermont (driveelectricvt.com) provides information about electric vehicles and incentives and is sponsored by Efficiency Vermont. They also have a map of public EV charging stations throughout the state.
Other Helpful Resources:

  • Vermont Energy & Climate Action Network (VECAN) (vecan.net) – Network of town energy committees and supporting organizations. The website has resources for local energy committees (including more exhaustive lists of VT energy programs and initiatives by category) and a list of active committees statewide.
  • Vermont Community Energy Dashboard (vtenergydashboard.org) – Collection of energy planning resources, data, and examples of local energy projects being implemented throughout the state. Communities can submit an energy story for inclusion on the website.
  • Go! Vermont (connectingcommuters.org) – State of Vermont website with resources and information about energy efficient commuting. Includes info on local bus routes, train schedules, biking, and carpooling.
  • BCRC Energy Planning Page (bcrcvt.org/energy-planning) – contains resources found in this document, and more, including town energy data sets.
  • BCRC Energy Committees Page (bcrcvt.org/energy-committees) – information about all the local active energy committees in Bennington County.
  • Vermont Comprehensive Energy Plan (draft)
  • Vermont Climate Action Plan

Regional Energy Coordinator:
Callie Fishburn
cfishburn@bcrcvt.org
802-442-0713 x309

Window Dressers 1023 from Chris Bates on Vimeo.


Documents and Links

 

The Energy Committee first met on Tuesday, October 29, 2019.