Out There: Helping old homes go electric

Vermont Public

Published January 16, 2025 at 10:00 AM EST

This is the web version of our email newsletter, Out There! Sign up to get our monthly dose of all things environment — from creatures you might encounter on your next stroll, to a critical look at the state's energy transition, plus ways to take part in community science and a roundup of local outdoor events.

🌖 It’s Thursday, January 16. Here’s what’s on deck:

🥊 Big oil sues Vermont
❄️ Free skiing all winter
🌈 A weird winter rainbow

But first,

Up to $10,000 for an electric system upgrade

A picture collage of a snowy landscape with an old yellow house plugged into an outlet. — In some older homes, you need to make (often expensive) upgrades to the electric panel and service line before installing energy efficient appliances like heat pumps.

Before you can install a heat pump or an electric car charger in a house, you need an electric system that can handle the extra power. In a lot of older homes that can mean thousands of dollars of work from an electrician to install a new panel and service line – something most state and federal rebate programs don’t cover. A new program in Vermont looks to fill the gap by helping low and middle income homeowners make those upgrades. It launched this fall and offers up to $10,000 for homeowners for an upgrade to a 200 amp panel.

🛣️ Electrical panels are like a highway: They provide the lanes that keep all the electrons that power lights and appliances moving consistently and at the right speed. Older houses, with 60 or 100 amp panels and meters, generally don’t have enough interstate lanes to fully electrify a home. And as more appliances run on electricity instead of fossil fuels, you need thicker wires to handle the heat that comes with extra power.
🔧 There are some workarounds: Technologies like smart splitters can help add another appliance to a panel that’s close to being maxed out, and power smart EV chargers, which charge an electric car when other appliances aren’t running, can also help stave off an upgrade. But for some much older homes, like ones with a 60 amp panel, an upgrade is often the only option.
💰 Show me the money: The program is thanks to $19 million in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) granted to Efficiency Vermont and other utilities. It’s not clear how many homes in Vermont might require this kind of work to electrify their home heat or cars. (One thinktank put the number at 48 million homes nationwide.)

In other news

🛢️ Political backlash in Montpelier: Many newly elected lawmakers have vowed to repeal a Democrat-backed policy designed to reduce the use of fossil fuels in home heating called the clean heat standard. The law would require heating fuel companies to help their customers transition to greener technologies or pay to help subsidize emission reduction projects, like home weatherization or heat pump installation. Gov. Phil Scott has raised concerns about how the policy could increase fuel prices. He’s vetoed the legislation before and now there are enough GOP votes to sustain his veto again.

🥊 Big oil fights back: Fossil fuel and business lobbyists are suing Vermont, accusing the state of “excessive overreach” and usurping the role of federal regulators. At issue is the Climate Superfund Act, which passed last year and allows the state to pursue payment from big fossil fuel companies for a share of what climate change has cost Vermont since the mid-1990s. The suit looks to prohibit the state from enforcing the law.

🪧 Safety concerns over a gas pipeline: The line in question is operated by Vermont Gas Systems and carries Canadian natural gas to Addison County. Construction finished in 2017 but in the intervening years regulators have found compliance issues with the project. They say it wasn't buried deep enough and used unapproved burial methods, though they maintain the line is safe. Vermont Gas just submitted a new petition to the Public Utility Commission. Neighbors involved in an ongoing legal case will soon have another chance to weigh in.

In your backyard

An illustration of large black birds sitting in a tree, with text on the right hand side — Each fall, crows begin to sleep in communal roosts. As it gets colder, they congregate in increasingly large numbers, sometimes reaching upwards of 10,000 birds.

Get out there

🤩 Free skiing all winter: Storrs Hill Ski Area in Lebanon, New Hampshire has been operating a ski lift since 1923. This year, that lift is free. The largely volunteer-run ski center is open Fridays from 5 to 9 p.m., Saturdays 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. through March. They offer weekly lessons in ski jumping, telemark and backcountry skiing and more, but you’ll have to pay for those.

🕵️🐾 Wildlife tracking: Learn how to identify prints, track patterns and spot other signs of animal life on the landscape:

In southern Vermont: Join a guided hike in Rupert (Bennington County) Saturday, January 18 at 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. $20 and you’ll need to preregister.
In central Vermont: A naturalist and tracker from North Branch Nature Center is leading a wildlife tracking class in Montpelier Sunday, January 19 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. $35 and financial support is available.
Or join the club: Also at the North Branch Nature Center, a group is going out every Sunday morning in January and February from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in search of tracks of coyote, fox, deer, fisher, mink, and other critters. Be prepared to walk up to a mile. Free.

🎣 Ice fishing festival: Every year the state offers a day of free ice fishing instruction that covers everything “from tip-ups to filleting fish.” They’ll have 5,000 maggots and 240 minnows on hand to use as bait at Silver Lake State Park in Barnard Saturday, January 25 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. And if you already love ice fishing, you can fish anywhere in the state for the day without a fishing license. Here’s the state’s recommendation of great ice fishing spots.

One last thing

A photo of a road leading towards a sky, where a rainbow that goes straight up and down is seen in the sky. — A vertical rainbow seen in St. Albans recently.

As the sun rose on a clear morning in St. Albans last week, a vertical rainbow appeared in the sky. This phenomenon is called a sundog, and develops to the left or right of the sun when ice crystals in the atmosphere act like a prism, breaking visible light into a rainbow. The colors usually go from red, closest to the sun, to blue, on the outside of the sundog. They can form at any time of year, but are most common on cold winter days.

Credits: This week’s edition was put together by Lexi Krupp with lots of help from the Vermont Public team, including graphics by Laura Nakasaka and digital support from Sophie Stephens. Editing by Brittany Patterson.