VEC Continues Wide Variety of Incentives for 2020

Johnson, VT – Vermont Electric Co-op is continuing to offer a wide range of bill credits this year for members who purchase certain electricity-powered devices for their homes or businesses to transition away from fossil fuels.

“These incentives are designed to help members choose technologies for heating and cooling their homes, for transportation, even cutting the lawn, that are more modern, cleaner and less expensive over the long term,” said Jake Brown, energy services planner at VEC.

For example, VEC offers one-time bill credits to members who buy cold-climate heat pumps, electric vehicles, and lawn mowers, among other products.

Brown said about 1,000 VEC members have taken advantage of bill credits since VEC began offering them in 2017.

Bill credit opportunities for 2020 include:

• Heating/Cooling: For cold-climate heat pumps, a bill credit of $300 (with an additional $150 for members who have taken steps to weatherize their homes); and for heat pump water heaters and pellet stoves, a bill credit of $150 per unit.
• Vehicles: For plug-in electric vehicles, a bill credit of $250 for purchases (new or used) and $50/year for leases; for all-electric vehicles, a bill credit of $500 for purchases (new or used) and $100/year for leases.
• Electric vehicle charging: For home Level II chargers, $250 (with additional $50 incentive if members allow VEC to communicate with the charger); and for publicly-available charging stations, $500 per connection.
• Other machinery: For residential lawn mowers, $50; and for commercial-scale mowers and electric forklifts, $1,000.
• Modular Homes: For a Zero Energy Modular Home, $500
• Custom opportunities: VEC's Clean Air Program (CAP) can help replace fossil fuel usage, and reduce carbon emissions, through electric service upgrades or line-extensions. Each project is customized to meet the needs of the member and the co-op. Contact VEC if you think you might have a suitable project for the CAP program.

Brown noted that VEC’s bill credit program benefits the entire co-op membership – not just those who take advantage of the program - because the incentives pay for themselves through additional electric sales.

Over the past three years, VEC has exceeded its goals for the incentive initiative, known as the Energy Transformation Program, and helped eliminate the consumption of about four million gallons of fossil fuel. That’s the equivalent of taking approximately 6,000 vehicles off the road for one year.

Some of the VEC incentives are in addition to other qualified incentives or rebates, including Efficiency Vermont incentives and new statewide electric vehicle incentives, as well as potential tax incentives.

Learn more about these opportunities on VEC's Energy Transformation incentives page or by calling 1-800-832-2667.