Origin

In June 1999, Vermont enacted legislation authorizing the Vermont Public Service Board (PSB) to establish a volumetric charge on all electric customers’ bills to support energy efficiency programs and goals. The subsequent year the PSB established Efficiency Vermont, a statewide “energy efficiency utility,” and a funding mechanism to support it. Efficiency Vermont is currently administered by Vermont Energy Investment Corporation (VEIC), an independent, non-profit corporation.

Electric Sales Reduction

Efficiency Vermont periodically establishes certain goals that constitute an energy efficiency resource goal for the state. The current, three-year plan includes the following state-wide goals during the three-year period covering 2015, 2016, and 2017.

• Annual Incremental Net Savings: 321,800
• Summer peak kW savings: 41,300
• Winter peak kW savings: 53,700

For more information about Vermont's efficiency goals, programs and results, see the Efficiency Vermont’s annual reports.

Program Administrator Type

The programs intended to meet Efficiency Vermont's goals are administered by the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation (VEIC). However, the City of Burlington Electric Department (BED) serves as the energy efficiency utility for its service territory, under separate authorization from the PSB. The programs offered to customers are aligned, but the goals are different. See Burlington Electric Department for more information.

Cost Effectiveness and Program Evaluation

Vermont uses the Societal Cost Test (SCT), one of the five "California tests" from the California Standard Practice Manual, as the primary test for evaluating its energy efficiency programs.