Financial and Lifestyle Resources for Vermont

We all lead busy lives and the thought of getting all our tasks done can seem overwhelming, especially when it comes to home maintenance. With spring coming, you may be wondering what projects you need to tackle around the house. The pandemic has spurred a lot of home projects, which means contractors’ schedules are filling quickly (some may already be filled). So, now is the time to start planning and reaching out!

Winter is coming to an end, making it a great time to consider upgrades to your heating system that will improve your comfort next winter! You’ve probably heard that the state has a goal of reaching 90 percent renewable energy by 2050, but you may not have heard that part of that goal is to reach 35 percent of our thermal energy needs from wood heat by 2030. It’s true! Vermont has a long cultural history of heating with wood, and already 24 percent of our thermal energy comes from wood heat, but modern advances in wood heating technology have made it easier, cleaner, and more sustainable than ever before.

The good and bad news about heating your home in Vermont is that there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. Every home is different, after all—with existing heating system, floor plan, and heat-loss issues. The reason this is good news is that you can create a system that works for your unique home and budget. It may take some research, but you’ve come to the right place. In order to simplify your search for the perfect system for your home, we have compiled this list of the five efficient home heating options and the types of homes they are best suited to.

Winter is an expensive season, largely because of the cost of keeping the home warm. Fortunately, there are a lot of small, low-cost things you can do on your own to reduce seasonal heating costs, from tightening up your house before the weather hits to finding cost-effective options for home heating fuel.

When I first moved into my home about four years ago, I was paying higher electric bills, with air conditioning in the summer and pellet stove heat in the winter. This worked for me for a while even though it meant purchasing pallets full of pellets (averaging a few hundred dollars per pallet) and hauling those into my home, and of course during the cold months keeping the hopper full on a regular basis. Then the pellet stove broke down and pushed me down a different path.

As the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) becomes more widespread, more used electric cars are entering the market and offering a more affordable option for those looking to go electric. In fact, 7% of electric vehicles registered in Vermont in the first quarter of 2020 are used, according to the most recent report from Drive Electric VT. This number is only expected to grow along with the increased availability of used EVs. If you’re looking to go green with your next vehicle and think you might be interested in a used EV, here is a list of important questions to ask and information to know as you start your search.

This is an exciting time for plug-in electric vehicle (EV) buyers. Manufacturers are producing a wide array of models. The value of going electric has increased as electric driving range goes up, performance improves, more affordable models are available and off-peak charging costs from several Vermont utilities offer the equivalent of $1 per gallon of gasoline. Plus, purchase incentives are available that can reduce up-front costs by $10,000 or more. If you’re on the fence about buying an EV, this article may help you pick a side.

Short answer: Yes.   Going green with solar panels is more than just a feel-good decision—it can also help your wallet too. There are plenty of reasons for installing solar panels, but at the end of the day, it still has to make sense financially.