It is estimated that as much as 90% of Vermont's housing stock is in need of weatherization and energy efficiency modifications that could result in 30-40% fuel savings for homeowners. And 53% of the nation's commercial buildings are nearly residential in scale - 5000 square feet or less (http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cbecs/cbecs2003/introduction.html).

The demand for qualified technicians to perform energy audits and especially weatherization of buildings in Vermont is high.

Our current projects:

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Workforce-Training

With generous support from the Vermont Office of Economic Opportunity, the Blittersdorf Foundation, the Vermont Community Foundation and the Northfield Savings Bank, CSP organized and implemented a 9-day, intensive Energy Auditor Training. This training served 11 Vermonters: students; weatherization workers; and faculty. With funding from Senator Leahy through the U.S. Department of Labor, CSP, Vermont Tech's Technology Extension Division and the Vermont Office of Economic Opportunity are developing several weatherization workforce-training programs. We will deliver weatherization installer and weatherization crew chief trainings beginning in January of 2009.

Energy Reduction Taskforce

The Energy Reduction Taskforce (ERTf) was formed in January of 2008. The mission of the ERTf is to identify and implement energy conservation and efficiency measures that will lighten our collective carbon footprint, conserve non-renewable resources, and provide fiscal relief from ever-increasing energy costs. The ERTf strives to engage all members of the Vermont Tech community in creating a cultural shift towards a long-lasting commitment to energy reduction and environmental stewardship. Activities of the ERTf are on going, including the college's participation in the The Climate Registry - the Climate Registry is a nonprofit organization that establishes standards throughout North America for businesses and governments to calculate, publically report and verify their greenhouse-gas emissions.

Grass Pellet Boiler

One of the largest expenses of the college is the cost of energy to heat and power the campus. At the moment, the college is entirely dependent on fossil fuel. In spite of the current downturn in costs, long-term fossil fuel prices are bound to increase. As part of a campus-wide, sustainable technology field laboratory, we will install a biomass pellet-fired boiler in the historic Red School House (RSH) that houses Vermont Tech's Dairy Farm Management and Agribusiness Management programs. Biomass energy is an important part of the Sustainable Design and Technology curriculum. This green energy project will also serve as a proof-of-principle, demonstration project that can be applied to Vermont schools that are too small for wood-chip heating systems, and will help train workers for the emerging local bio-fuels marketplace. Working with the Biomass Energy Resource Center and a local farmer, CSP will test crop and burn various grasses and other types of biomass.