In addition to the IRA, there are tax incentives and money back deals to get you started on all types of green projects, from home weatherization to electric vehicles. Every New Year brings changes to state and federal incentives to cut carbon emissions– read on for some of the opportunities available to Vermonters in the New Year:

SOLAR

The federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) is the most well-known financial incentive for homeowners to go solar. Thanks to the IRA, the ITC will go up to 30%, meaning that 30% of the cost of a solar photovoltaic (PV) system, home batteries, or a geothermal system can be claimed on federal income taxes. This is a dollar-for-dollar reduction on your income tax! As of now, the 30% credit will stay in place through 2034. 

In Vermont, if your solar array produces more electricity than you use at any given time, that power is sent to the grid and your utility company is required to credit your electricity bill by a certain amount. In addition, there is no sales tax assessed on solar installations, and the additional value the system adds to your home is exempt from state property taxes.

ADVANCED WOOD HEATING

In 2023 the Wood and Pellet Heater Investment Tax Credit will cover 30% of the purchase and installation costs of home heating and hot water systems that utilize wood pellets, chips and cordwood. There is an annual cap of $2,000. The State of Vermont also offers incentives for woodstove changeouts and repairs. Incentives of up to $6,000 for stove and $4,000 for repairs are available for new cordwood or pellet stoves that meet certain EPA standards and/or a repair of a chimney or hearth necessary for the new stove to meet fire and Building Safety Code. To be eligible you must remove an existing wood stove that is not EPA certified or more than 20 years old. Depending on income level, 80% or 60% of the cost is covered up to $6,000. Visit rerc-vt.org/woodstove-change-out-and-repairs for more information on this program.

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

The IRA contains many incentives for electric vehicles (EVs). For the first time there is a federal tax credit for used EVs of 30% up to $4,000, with an income cap for the buyer. Starting in 2024, this credit can be transferred directly to dealerships for discounts at point of sale. There is also a tax credit of 30% up to $7,500 for new EVs, but there are various requirements to receive the full credit. You will need to check that the car is eligible, that you meet income limits, and that final assembly of the vehicle took place in the US.

The State of Vermont also offers additional EV incentives. As of July 1, 2022 there was $12.3 million available for the program. Interested Vermonters are encouraged to take advantage of this offering while funds are available. The amount of your specific incentive depends on income level and whether the vehicle is hybrid plug-in electric, or all electric. It is best to act now, as funding has run out before, resulting in a break before more could be appropriated. 

If you are looking for a used car, Vermont also offers an incentive for used hybrids and EVs, called MileageSmart. The MileageSmart Incentive is worth 25% of the initial price of the vehicle (excluding taxes and registration fees), up to $5,000. The program currently has over $250,000 of remaining incentives.

WEATHERIZATION

Weatherization is on many people’s minds as temperatures dip down to the single digits. Vermont’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) provides free home weatherization if you meet household income limits. On average, this program Makes about $8,500 worth of improvements per home and reduces drafts by about 40%. Visit https://dcf.vermont.gov/benefits/weatherization for more information and to see income guidelines. 

The Home Performance with Energy Star (HPwES) program connects homeowners and certified contractors to assess home energy use and perform energy improvements. Currently homeowners can receive 75% of project cost back, up to $2,000. Income-eligible Vermonters can receive 75% of project cost back, up to $5,000. Available while funds last. Details at www.efficiencyvermont.com/rebates/list/home-performance-with-energy-star. 

There are a myriad of incentives, rebates, and tax credits available for upgrading your energy use in 2023. The opportunities outlined here are just a selection. Visit efficiencyvermont.com to learn about more incentives for technology such as heat pumps, lighting, air conditioners, thermostats, furnaces, boilers and more. On average, each Vermonter is responsible for over 15 tons (30,000 pounds) of greenhouse gas emissions of air pollution per year. Make 2023 the year you reduce your carbon footprint. 

Economic incentives make 2023 a great year for you to harness the immense power of the sun to meet your energy needs. Photo: NASA/SDO

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Members of the Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship display some of the projects they are engaged in to promote sustainability, foster environmental stewardship, and mitigate climate change. Photo: Nick Wolfe.

On March 25, Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship was officially recognized as a Cool Congregation through Interfaith Power and Light–a national organization based in California that “inspires and mobilizes people of faith and conscience to take bold and just action on climate change” as part of their stated mission. Two days later, the church grounds at Taftsville Chapel were designated as a Certified Wildlife Habitat through the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). Both of these recognitions come as a result of the congregation’s ongoing effort to pursue a way of life that is not only sustainable (into the future) but regenerative; bringing healing to previous harms to our planet, our global neighbors (humans, and other species), and providing hospitality to future generations yet to come.

Our congregation came into contact with Interfaith Power and Light (IPL) during the Summer of 2018 when we collaborated with Sustainable Woodstock and the Taftsville Country Store to host a Green Drinks gathering in celebration of the green initiatives that had been launched in our hamlet by both Taftsville Chapel and the Taftsville Country Store. While hosting the gathering in our chapel, as the pastor, I was introduced to Betsy Hardy who served, at that time, as the Coordinator for the Vermont chapter of IPL. Among other resources from within IPL, Hardy presented the Katy Gerke Memorial Program (KGMP) as a source of financing for churches that are pursuing strategies to offset or reduce carbon emissions. 

This gathering inspired our church to consider ways that we could do more. Although we had established several practices and initiatives toward environmental stewardship (including the solar panels on our roof with energy credits being donated to nearby Bethany Birches Camp), we saw an opportunity in doing work to upgrade our building. We applied for funding with KGMP and were grateful to receive several thousand dollars in grant money–along with incentives from Efficiency Vermont– that went towards insulation and weatherization work that we began alongside adding new siding and paint to our aging, historic chapel. These efforts have reduced our carbon footprint by over 40% since the time we began these intentional steps towards sustainability in 2017, that ultimately brought us our new Cool Congregation status. (Cool Congregations are houses of worship that have been designated as “renewable role models” by IPL for the work that they are doing to cool the planet and reduce carbon footprints).

Heather Wolfe has been attending Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship for over a decade. She has spearheaded several of these initiatives along the way. Wolfe serves as Taftsville Chapel’s “Mennonite Creation Care Network (MCCN) Liaison” and is in touch with a wider network of Mennonite churches and organizations across North America that are seeking ways to intentionally “care for creation.” Wolfe sees the various steps we’ve taken to pursue harmony with our planet as “an outward expression of our internal core values and faith.” She says that these efforts are “a public witness of our commitment to creation care.” Wolfe recognizes that there has been tremendous value with the organizations that we’ve partnered with and received support and recognition from (including Sustainable Woodstock, IPL, NWF, and MCCN) who are, as Wolfe says, partners in “a good work for us to join in and be a part of.” 

With Wolfe’s leadership, we are actively exploring ways to regeneratively make use of the land surrounding our church which include the planting of permaculture gardens, the maintenance of Soil Saver compost bins, and the recent addition of a birdhouse to provide housing for some of our neighbors with wings.

Taftsville Chapel is joining with 350Vermont’s Rewild Vermont campaign and planting additional trees on our church grounds next month. We are also pursuing additional certification with the NWF for our church land as a Sacred Grounds designation.  The central requirement for a house of worship to be designated as a Sacred  Grounds site includes planting a native plant garden/wildlife habitat. Our installation of the birdhouse was a step toward achieving this. 

As a church family, we recognize that we are fortunate to live amidst the beauty of the Green Mountain State; we cherish the land that our Creator has provided, and we hope to preserve this habitat for future generations. Underlying this commitment is a willingness to keep asking the question: “How can we live simply that others may simply live?” This, to us, is implicit in faithfully loving our neighbors, and, ultimately, our Creator. We also hope that–as we’ve been inspired along the way–we might in turn be a source of ideas and inspiration to others.

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