An Update On The Municipal Energy Resilience Program
- Details
The Municipal Energy Resiliency Program (MERP) is underway with the capacity building mini grants being distributed to municipalities who applied throughout the end of May into June. Towns are using these funds to educate their communities on energy and resilience topics, state and federal programs that residents can leverage to make their homes more efficient, Americans with Disabilities Act audits of municipal buildings and a host of other approved uses. The Town of Wilmington is using the mini grant funds to host an energy fair at the new public safety complex.
The rest of the MERP program is progressing according to the schedule of the Vermont Department of Buildings and General Services (BGS) with the municipal building energy assessment applications due out in the near term. The assessments are conducted across the state the implementation grant applications will be prepared and vetted by BGS. There will be two types of assessments available. A Level I and Level II. A level one walk through assessment takes 1-2 hours and provides information on how a community can save money on building costs and recommends ways to make the structure more efficient and comfortable.
The other piece of the MERP program is a revolving loan fund that municipalities can tap into if they had a Level II energy assessment completed by the state selected contractor. A Level II assessment could also be used in conjunction with other state or federal funding programs. This type of assessment will include at minimum information on project recommendations to improve the operating cost, comfort and energy use in buildings, HVAC systems, the use of renewable energy source heating systems, thermal envelope improvements, an evaluation of the feasibility of battery storage and EV charging stations, system and life cycle cost and project prioritization information.
If you would like more or greater detail on this program or would like to know how Windham Regional is supporting Southeastern Vermont’s clean energy future, please email Mike McConnell.
