News You Can Use from the Energy Co-op
THREE IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT REBATES
There are three important things to know about rebates for heating system upgrades and weatherization:
  1. There are plenty of them
  2. They change a lot
  3. It can be very confusing to know which ones apply to you.

At the Energy Co-op, we keep on top of the many changes and options from utilities and resources that serve our customers so you don't have to! The information on our website can be a good place to start your information search. The second place can be to contact our service manager, Joe Cobb or our Weatherization Team Manager, Paul Fleckenstein. They will be able to point you to the resources and rebates that apply to the work you are considering.
HEATING FUEL PRICE TRENDS
Fuel oil pricing over the last few years has been drastically impacted by the Covid epidemic. In the Spring of 2020, oil pricing began to rapidly fall as demand for oil collapsed in China due to thousands of factories being shut down. The fall in price continued as world demand was significantly reduced as Covid spread across the globe. The retail price bottomed out in the summer of 2020 and stayed stable for a few months until early 2021.

As business returned to somewhat normal operation the demand for oil increased and the so did the price. As of today, prices have rebounded to pre-Covid pricing. Our members who utilized our price protection program and pre-bought or capped their prices did extremely well in locking the low summer prices seen last year.

Looking ahead the Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecasts the average cost per gallon for the winter of 2021/2022 will be $3.39 per gallon.
HEAT PUMP HOT WATER HEATER
IS IT RIGHT FOR YOU?
If you're thinking about replacing your old water heater with a new one of the same variety, make sure you're fully educated on your options. Heat pump water heaters can cost half as much to operate as traditional electric resistance water heaters, and can save as much as $3,200 over the lifetime of the unit. Not only do they heat water, heat pump water heaters also air condition and dehumidify the space around them. Plus they now come with up to a $800 rebate from Efficiency Vermont.
Don't wait for our next newsletter to stay informed. Follow us on Facebook and get real-time updates on Co-op programs and energy saving news.
ANNUAL MEETING UPDATE
Many thanks to our members who took the time to join us on our ZOOM annual meeting on October 20th. If you didn't make it, we have a full recording and a copy of the presentation at the link below.
SERVICE TEAM BREAKS RECORDS
It was a record year for our HVAC service team.

The team installed 195 heat pump units which is more than double the number of units we had installed the previous year.

They also installed boilers, furnaces, water heaters and oil tanks. Overall they completed 1767 work orders.

They also performed 857 heating system tune ups. On average customers save about 5% of your overall fuel usage by tuning up your heating system. The 857 tune ups we completed for our members resulted in saving of an estimated 28,000 gallons of heating fuel over the course of the winter.
EMERGENCY SERVICE:
WE'RE THERE WHEN YOU NEED US
The availability of emergency service is one of the most valuable benefits we provide our members. As you may have experienced, finding reliable contractors that provide great residential services is becoming increasingly difficult.

In addition to last year's record breaking service and installation work, the Co-op service team was on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for emergency calls from our members. Last year, we answered over 500 calls and resolved a wide range of problems including winter "no heat" emergencies, funny odors, and leaking water heaters.
WHAT'S YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT?
The classic definition of carbon footprint is "the amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds emitted due to the consumption of fossil fuels by a particular person, group, etc."
Many people are unaware of how much impact their own lifestyle and home energy usage has on the environment. The first step in "using less" is to understanding your footprint. Calculate yours at the link below.