Central Vt. Heating Services Inc.

10/21/2024

Dark Money Pushes“Clean Heat” A national SuperPAC just dropped off a $180,000 check in Montpelier to get candidates to support a Clean Heat Standard. Check out the story here.

Clean Heat Contractors Ever since the Clean Heat Standard (CHS) was first contemplated, heating contractors and equipment supply houses have been using HCCV’s Clean Heat Credit Claim Form. Thousands of these forms are in the offices and garages of Vermont heating fuel and service contractors that have installed and delivered Clean Heat Measures. It is unclear whether these forms will have any value in the future. This is because a tremendous amount of work still needs to be done to create a complex and costly “Credit Exchange” before the CHS is implemented. And that decision could be made in just 90 days by the Vermont legislature.

Dig Deeper
Watch "Understanding the Clean Heat Standard” at cleanheatvt.com.
Read Meadow Hill’s comments on the need to establish a proper exchange for verifying, selling, and exchanging these credits.
Read comments from Efficiency Vermont that reinforce the need for a highly regulated market and, if one cannot be created, a return to a simple fee to pay for thermal energy efficiency programs.
Registry Report Contractors who take on jobs that cost $10,000 or more have had to register with the Office of Professional Regulation since April 2023. However, most of the complaints coming into the Office of Professional Regulation have been on smaller dollar jobs, according to a recent report issued by the Office of Professional Regulation (click here to read). This has some policymakers taking a second look at the $10,000 threshold. Thanks to advocacy by HCCV’s government affairs team, licensed and certified plumbing, heating, and electrical contractors are exempt from any new fees or requirements to register if they are “acting within the scope of your license or certification.”

"The Clean Heat Standard, as currently conceived, requires substantial additional costs and regulatory complexity above the funding needed to accomplish Vermont’s greenhouse gas emission reduction goals.”

04/22/2024

250 Changes The effort to update Vermont's half-century-old land use law, Act 250, is nearing the finish line. However, it's not nearly what pro-growth lawmakers say is necessary. Critics argue that it does more to conserve land than address Vermont’s housing crisis. The legislation proposes classifying Vermont into "tiers” when defining where and how development is regulated. There are temporary exemptions (until 2027) from Act 250 for housing projects with up to 75 units near designated growth areas, excluding floodplains and river corridors. It allows developments of up to 50 units near village centers or transit routes and maintains exemptions for mixed-income housing projects in some towns. The legislation also proposes replacing the volunteer Natural Resources Board with a professional Land Use Review Board for appeals, shifting away from court-based appeals.

Property Tax Hike Looming Early predictions of double-digit property tax increases are coming true. While some lawmakers brushed off this possibility before the session began, we are now at the end of lawmaking season and a hike looks inevitable. Vermont homeowners will likely face a 15% increase, while commercial properties and second homes will pay about 18% more. To lessen the burden on property taxpayers, House lawmakers have proposed a 6% tax on cloud-based software and a 1.5% surcharge on short-term rentals which will generate $27 million. It only makes a small dent, lowering the tax by a single percentage point. Governor Phil Scott issued a statement that not enough has been done to address the increase in spending.

Transportation Legislation on the Move A comprehensive bill that spends more than $900 million on transportation projects is in the final stages of approval. About $125 million will try to get Vermonters to buy less gasoline. This includes $60 million for public transit, $48 million for rail, and $12 million for EV incentives and EV supply equipment. The proposal also adds an annual fee of $89 for an all-electric vehicle and a $44.50 fee for a plug-in hybrid. The money would go to a fund to further build out Vermont’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure. All is subject to change when the House and Senate work out a compromise to resolve the differences between the two different transportation spending bills. Already, House leadership is sending the message that EV’s should not pay any extra fees to pay for either fix the roads or fund Vermont’s EV charging infrastructure.

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Fixing Fixed Price Programs
Oilheat and propane customers are asking two simple questions:
1) How much will the Vermont Clean Heat Fee cost per gallon?
2) When is the earliest it could go into effect?
The first question is unknown and won’t be until the Public Utility Commission finishes designing the Clean Heat Standard in December. So far the best guess is 70 cents per gallon. While the Legislature won’t decide whether to pass the fee until next year, there is urgency now because more than one hundred local heating fuel dealers are preparing to offer summer pre-buys and fixed-price contracts to their customers. These popular price protection plans provide stability and, in most years, lower costs than if the fuel was purchased during the colder, winter months. But it’s nearly impossible for dealers to lock in rates for their customers and comply with Vermont’s guaranteed price law (9 V.S.A. § 2461e) if they are uncertain of their fixed costs. If a clean heat credit fee is applied retroactively on fuel sold after January 1, 2025, fuel sellers will be required to honor that fixed price. And if the fee is greater than their gross margin, it is quite possible that some of these local businesses will not be financially viable. The Public Utility Commission’s Technical Advisory Group voted unanimously on April 18 for the PUC to clarify when the first obligation period begins and ask that it not start until January 1, 2026, at the earliest. This was in response to the concern that any compliance fees would be applied retroactively on heating oil and propane gallons sold before the Clean Heat Credit fee was established by the PUC.

03/08/2023

How will the Carbon Tax affect Vermonters?

All Vermonters will feel the effects of the proposed Carbon Tax. The cost of food will increase. The cost of goods and services will increase. Any business that uses fossil fuel will have to absorb the proposed $1 to $4 per gallon increase per gallon to heat their businesses. Those businesses will pass that cost to the consumer. All Vermonters who use fuel oil and/or propane gas will feel the effects of the cost to keep their homes warm. The cost of propane used for cooking and even gas grill users will see the price of a tank of gas go up. Any home not on the Natural Gas line May see their property values go down. Housing costs are now very high and unaffordable to many first-time buyers, add in the added cost to heat homes will make it more unaffordable to more home buyers. The average home in Vermont uses about 900 gallons of oil per heating season. Oil heated homes are seeing record high prices today, add the extra $900 or more average additional price if the bill passes and many mid to low income homeowners and renters may not be able to keep their homes warm. Tough decisions will have to be made by seniors and fixed income consumers wether to keep warm or feed their families or worse, will they be able to afford much needed medications.

The Carbon Tax will force oil and propane customers to switch their heating systems to more use of electricity. To do that, it will require the purchase of Heat Pumps. The cost to switch could exceed $10,000 or more per household. Cold Climate Heat Pumps realistically will provide economical heat down to about -15 degrees and then their cost savings benefit stops. Can the existing electrical grid handle the added use of electricity? Will the cost of electricity increase because existing power lines, poles, and substation have to be upgraded? Bet on it! Even Natural Gas customers will feel this cost increase even if they are not targeted in the proposed Carbon Tax.

What has not been mentioned in this proposed bill is where the money generated by the tax be applied? Will the money subsidize the cost of fuel switching heating systems? If it does, will that subsidy benefit all Vermonters equally or will it only help low income Vermonters. Will mid and higher income Vermonters have to pick up that cost and not get any benefit? Will the money just disappear or be used for projects that will not benefit all Vermonters. Many of these questions have no answers offered by Vermont Legislators.

If you feel that this bill is maybe a little premature and there are too many questions being unanswered, contact the Vermont Sargent at Arms at 802-828-2228 Tuesday through Friday 8:30 to 4:30 and voice your opinion. Because there is only one phone line and there are many people voicing their opinion on this bill, it may be difficult getting through. Don’t give up and allow these questions and concerns go unanswered, keep trying. The bill is S5, your voice will count!

Chandler Ede
Instructor for the National Oil Research Alliance (NORA)

02/19/2023

02/04/2023

"Friday, we all will experience temperatures and wind chills that our homes' heating systems are NOT designed for. Negative numbers!
Newer homes will struggle to maintain temperature, and older homes will NOT maintain temperature. The temperature WILL drop while the heating system is working at full capacity.
1. Please raise the temperature in your home 2 to 4 degrees above your normal setting.
2. Take all programmable thermostats out of setback mode and set on a permanent HOLD.
3. If you have a furnace; replace the filter.
4. Keep garage doors closed.
5. Limit opening exterior doors.
6. Make sure air vents and radiators are not blocked or obstructed.
7. If you have a 90%+ furnace and boiler, you must keep the intake and exhaust clear of ice and snow. During these cold temperatures, ice can build up. A 90%+ furnace and boiler have 2 white PVC pipes; an exhaust pipe, and an intake pipe that are generally on the side or back of your home.
8. Refrain from using pellet stoves or supplemental heat forms if you have a water-based heating system. The pipes WILL freeze.
If the temperature in your home is dropping and your radiators are HOT with boiler systems or you have HOT air coming out of your vents with furnaces, DO NOT PANIC. Please make sure that your heating system continues to operate.
If the temperatures drop in your home, it will not be able to recover until temperatures rise and the windchill diminishes. Our heating systems can not overcome temperatures -20 to -30. They are sized to operate at 0 degrees outdoor. Put your thermostat on hold at 70 degrees or higher.
To help minimize temperature loss, you can boil water, make soup or stews, or bake something - it helps introduce humidity and warmer temperatures into your home. Please check on neighbors and elderly residents during these extreme temperatures. Stay warm and safe this week.
The key is to NOT panic with falling temps inside your home if you have heat coming out of your registers. It is doing all it can. If it had feelings, it would be crying!
Stay safe and bring your pets inside!"

Please spread this all over Facebook and everyone be safe out there.

10/26/2022

One of our latest Boiler upgrades

03/17/2022

https://vermontdailychronicle.com/2022/03/17/anti-fossil-fuel-clean-heat-standard-passes-house/

A bill to force conversion from fossil fuel heating passed the Vermont House yesterday.