Burlington’s greenhouse gas emissions are down 19% as of 2024 compared to 2018, but the work is not done, as the city and Burlington Electric Department announce more electrification programs.Burlington’s Net Zero Energy Roadmap 2024 update was presented by Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak and BED April 9, along with new initiatives that will be kicking off this year.First pitched in 2019, the NZE Roadmap offers incentives to reduce fossil fuel consumption in the city, including switching to electric or hybrid vehicles an...
Burlington’s greenhouse gas emissions are down 19% as of 2024 compared to 2018, but the work is not done, as the city and Burlington Electric Department announce more electrification programs.
Burlington’s Net Zero Energy Roadmap 2024 update was presented by Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak and BED April 9, along with new initiatives that will be kicking off this year.
First pitched in 2019, the NZE Roadmap offers incentives to reduce fossil fuel consumption in the city, including switching to electric or hybrid vehicles and installing heat pumps. Those proved to have panned out positively and the plan has been executed and updated every year since.
Positive progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions
The roadmap update shows that Burlington’s greenhouse gas emissions in the ground transportation and thermal and buildings sectors are down 19% compared to the 2018 baseline. The reduction from the previous year, 2023, is 2.8%, something Mulvaney-Stanak said demonstrates continued climate progress in the two largest emissions sectors in the state.
“Climate action is among the top priorities for my administration, and I appreciate that the Net Zero Energy Roadmap update shows continued reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in 2024,” Mulvaney-Stanak said.
Last year also represented the lowest natural gas consumption for Burlington since tracking began in 2018. Darren Springer, General Manager of BED, said that is likely due to warmer winter weather, energy efficiency and continued deployment of heat pumps and other electrification technologies.
The city also say progress with continued vehicle electrification, with nearly 1,300 electric vehicles and hybrids registered as of 2024. That number represents nearly 6% of all vehicles registered in Burlington.
Springer also stated that it's important to note that Burlington is "outpacing state and national trends in our emissions reduction progress."
He compared Burlington's natural gas consumption to the rest of Vermont, stating that the city had a "nearly double" reduction of 18.1% compared to 9.4% statewide over the same timeframe.
Burlington also saw larger reductions in ground transportation emissions and fossil fuel consumption than was seen statewide.
New and expanded electrification incentives
In January, BED previewed upcoming pilot programs for both residential battery storage and a heat pump bill credit rate. BED has officially announced next steps regarding those pilot programs, plus introduced a new option under its home EV charging rate and a new pilot to offer certain rebates as on-bill credits.
Sydney P. Hakes is the Burlington city reporter. Contact her at [email protected].