Vermont was the first state in the nation to launch a rate-payer funded energy efficiency utility. It’s a reduction program called Efficiency Vermont, and it works with residential and business customers to find ways to save energy and money in the short and long term.
Since its inception in 1999, other states have followed suit, and in a new report ranking states that set goals to reduce energy usage, most are meeting or exceeding them. But the report by the "American Council on Energy Efficiency Economy" also shows that Vermont is still ranked first when it comes to saving on energy usage.
Jim Merriam is the director of Efficiency Vermont. He spoke with VPR’s Mitch Wertlieb about that ranking.