2 replies to this topic

[eds]

In 2014 Burlington, Vermont became the first city in the United States to run on
. . . 100% Renewable Energy.
. . . But how do they actually do it?
. . . What’s their secret?
https://www.youtube....h?v=zKhzVcHrWH4

[still learning]

eds, on 30 December 2017 - 07:51 AM, said:

. . . What’s their secret?

Municipal ownership of the electric utility.

Burlington Electric isn't an "investor owned utility" in which the objective is profits for the investors.  It's not a profit-making enterprise.

Burlington Electric does still have a budget, isn't a charity, but doesn't have to make a profit.

Looks like lots of lumbering goes on close by to support the biomass generation  and they have hydroelectric generation nearby too.  
Most other cities won't have much lumbering or hydro to help.

Small size helps too.  An aware populace helps.

Municipal ownership of the electric utility is the biggest factor though.  In my opinion.

But isn't municipal ownership a variety of socialism though?  Can't have that in the US, can we?  Businesses will lobby and lobby and lobby to block more municipal or state or federal ownership of electric generation.

[eds]

The Burlington Electric Department (BED)
. . . is a municipally-owned electric utility of Burlington, Vermont.

The utility was created in 1905,
. . . after city officials grew dissatisfied with
. . . the investor-owned Burlington Light and Power Company, and
. . . its pricing.

‘EXTRAORDINARY’ RESULTS THROUGH ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Since 1989, Burlington Electric Department (BED), and its customers, have invested,
. . . tens of millions of dollars, in a variety of energy efficiency initiatives.
. . . These efforts have included:
. . . . . . updating homes, and businesses, with energy efficient lighting,
. . . . . . installing more efficient HVAC systems,  
. . . . . . weatherizing buildings with insulation, and improved windows, and
. . . . . . incentivizing customers to replace aging appliances with energy efficient models.

The result:
. . . electric consumption in Burlington today is about,
. . . 4% lower than it was in 1989,
. . . while electricity usage in the rest of Vermont,
. . . increased by more than 10%.

BED Chief Operating Officer Darren Springer,
. . . estimates energy efficiency saves the utility’s customers almost
. . . $11 million every year.  
If the entire United States,
. . . had achieved the same reduction in electricity use that Burlington has since 1990,
. . . it would have achieved the emissions equivalent of removing more than
. . . 230 dirty, coal-fired power plants.

When U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders was mayor of Burlington,
. . . BED shut down the dirty coal-burning Moran plant on the waterfront, and
. . . with other Vermont utilities, constructed the wood-chip fired McNeil Generating Station.
. . . The 50-megawatt biomass plant is now Vermont’s largest in-state generator of electricity.

In 2012, Sanders secured
. . . $1 million for BED for an “on-bill financing” pilot project,
. . . to make it easier for businesses to implement energy efficiency measures.  
With "on-bill financing," BED lends money to customers, to make energy upgrades like installing efficient:
. . . . . . lighting,
. . . . . . appliances, and
. . . . . . HVAC systems.
The customer then automatically repays the loan, on their monthly electricity bill.
. . . Since the deals are structured,
. . . so the energy savings are greater than the loan repayment amount,
. . . the upgrades pay for themselves.

So far, 18 projects have been completed, totaling
. . . $778,292 worth of efficiency work, and another
. . . 4 projects are underway.  
The largest is the Hannaford supermarket in Burlington’s New North End, which borrowed
. . . $238,000 to install power-saving lighting.  
. . . The project is slated to pay for itself in just
. . . 3 years through the energy savings.
BED plans to fund the purchase of electric buses, used by
. . . Green Mountain Transit for bus routes in Burlington, and
. . . throughout northwestern Vermont.

12-31-2017 Source:  BED