What role do partnerships play in expanding access to clean energy solutions?
4 min read
The Challenge
Vermont has set a goal to weatherize 120,000 homes, with a focus on buildings occupied by low- to moderate-income residents.
The Solution
Efficiency Vermont, an energy efficiency utility implemented by VEIC, leads the Button Up initiative, a comprehensive effort bringing together community partners, organizations, and grassroots groups to ensure that weatherization resources are available to all Vermont residents. Services: Energy Efficiency
The Impact
The Button Up initiative has brought a steady year-over-year increase in weatherization projects across the state.
With an influx of unprecedented federal funding leading to new and expanded clean energy programming, outreach, and incentives, we move closer each day to the sustainable and equitable future we seek. Yet, resources are only as effective as the awareness, engagement, and access we build around them. Aligning stakeholders around clear customer-focused goals is essential to how we bring these funds to market. It is key to reach underserved rural populations—those who often lack access to energy-saving resources. Energy efficiency programs must meet residents where they are and present a seamless pathway to addressing their everyday challenges and needs.
Buttoning up for weatherization at home
In Vermont, the Department of Public Service has appointed Efficiency Vermont, an energy efficiency utility managed by VEIC, to develop and implement policies, programs, and initiatives that advance state energy goals. One such initiative is Button Up, an annual campaign facilitated by Efficiency Vermont. Button Up helps residents improve energy efficiency through home weatherization. The program provides everything from low- and no-cost efficiency tips to recommendations on comprehensive projects designed to lower utility bills, reduce energy demand, and cut carbon emissions.
In addition to an information-rich website, Button Up provides Vermont residents with educational webinars and dynamic in-person events. This initiative is seasonal: each autumn, Efficiency Vermont activates a multi-channel marketing campaign to remind residents of the approaching cold weather and the importance of weatherization projects like insulation and air sealing. Audiences are encouraged to tap into a wide array of resources and take steps to keep their homes efficient and comfortable.
Though Vermont is one of the smallest states by population, it is also one of the most rural, with towns and villages spread across its landscape. People living in these areas are more likely to face a high energy burden, meaning they spend a disproportionate percentage of their income on energy costs.
Overcoming the barriers to equity for underserved communities
Efficiency Vermont recognized the key role partnerships play in overcoming the challenges of serving rural communities. By building strategic partnerships, they bridged gaps in both education and access. This collaboration brings together a diverse group of stakeholders—community partners, town energy committees, utilities and non-profits—each contributing unique strengths and resources to a shared goal.
Programming was designed to align the efforts of Efficiency Vermont and its partners. This resulted in more than the conveyance of key messaging and a promise of equity; it brought engagement to a local level, with familiar organizations in the community fostering trust and a sense of belonging. It also allowed smaller partners the opportunity to participate in ways they would not be able to otherwise.
Key to this coordination was the creation of a dedicated partner resources section on the Button Up website. This page offers downloadable promotional materials, including posters, social media assets, newsletter content, informational printouts, and ad layouts. Partners can also order additional marketing collateral items like yard signs, stickers, and hats, and list their events on the website. An extensive FAQ section provides answers to common questions.
Transformative collaboration brings deep local traction
To date, local organizations have played a vital role in spreading the word within their communities. One such organization is Waterbury LEAP (Local Energy Action Partnership), an independent town energy committee and registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Efficiency Vermont Senior Community Engagement Manager, Brad Long, worked closely with LEAP on a free workshop last autumn, featuring presentations on weatherization, energy audit benefits, and energy-efficient heat pump technology. The event also provided guidance on loans and incentives for improvement projects. To promote the workshop, LEAP leveraged the full range of Button Up’s marketing materials, promoting the event through print, posters, email, yard signs, radio announcements, and more. Brad Long even joined LEAP founder Duncan McDougall for a Q&A on local radio where they answered callers’ questions and promoted the upcoming weatherization event.“They’re attuned to community energy challenges, well-versed in state and local policy and programs, and speak to all of it in a very effective way.”
Long praised LEAP as the ideal partner. “They’re attuned to community energy challenges, well-versed in state and local policy and programs, and speak to all of it in a very effective way.” He also commended LEAP for utilizing the resources and tools that Button Up provided, promoting exhaustively through multiple channels. The turnout was strong, filling the community room at the town’s municipal center. “At the end of the day, they set up a great event overall. And it was a place for people to be.”
