With the help of TRORC’s Harry Falconer, 20 municipalities in the TRORC region have been awarded a combined $5.98 million for energy resilience projects via the State of Vermont’s Municipal Energy Resilience Program (MERP). All 30 towns in the region and one incorporated village applied for the grant. The competitive grant criteria prioritized applications based on each municipality’s energy burden level, administrative capacity, population, and geographic location.
With $36 million available in funding, the TRORC region reserved one-sixth of the total amount. TRORC’s 20 winning municipalities received between $44,110 and the maximum award of $500,000; the average award was $299,362.To see where the Implementation Grant awards have been granted throughout the state, see the map provided by the Agency of Administration: Implementation Grant | Buildings and General Services.
The grant will be used to fund energy-efficiency retrofits and electrification projects for municipal buildings, including weatherization, insulation, and heating system upgrades, helping towns around the state dramatically reduce their energy costs and cut carbon emissions. Much of the grant will also fund energy resilience measures, including solar power generation, battery storage, and public EV charging stations. These measures will help to further reduce costs and reliance on fossil fuels, while helping these buildings stay in operation throughout extreme weather events, allowing them to act as emergency shelters
Municipalities should direct questions about the grant process to Harry Falconer at [email protected]. Additional partners for the program include the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network, and Efficiency Vermont.