Vermont’s House Bill 40 Requires 75% Renewables by 2032

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New Vermont law mandates 75% renewables by 2032, targets residential emissions

Utility Dive, June 15, 2015. Image credit: geralt

Dive Brief:

  • Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin (D) last week signed House Bill 40, a new law designed to reset Vermont’s renewables programs and give utilities incentives to increase their use of renewables while cutting residential customers’ greenhouse gas emissions.
  • The legislation creates mandates for 55% renewables by 2017 and 75% renewables by 2032 for electric utilities. The new, more demanding renewables standard is also expected to reduce complaints that some of Vermont’s power producers’ renewable energy credits (RECs) are counted twice, once for in-state credit and again when sold out of state.
  • The new law promises to create an “energy transformation” by legalizing solar leasing and on-bill financing of home energy efficiency upgrades like high-efficiency pumps for space or water heating.

Dive Insight:

HB 40 was named RESET because it changes the target of the state’s policy. Instead of just driving the use of renewables, it now includes provisions for cutting emissions from home energy use and from the transportation sector, which combined account for over 75% of Vermont’s greenhouse gases.

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