• Latest

Op-Ed: These Challenges Don’t Have to Be Insurmountable

January 29, 2019
Turtles on the Roadway Need Your Help

Turtles on the Roadway Need Your Help

May 30, 2023
African Queen (1951)

Wuthering Heights (1939)

May 30, 2023
Just Some Thoughts

On This Rainy Afternoon

May 30, 2023

May 30, 2023

Youth Risk Behavior Survey Offers Insights into Pandemic Era Student Health

May 30, 2023

VDOL Workforce Development Celebrates 164 Graduating Apprentices

May 23, 2023

Funding Now Available to Support Arts and Social Cohesion Projects in Vermont

May 23, 2023
Community Safety and Understanding De-Escalation

Community Safety and Understanding De-Escalation

May 23, 2023
African Queen (1951)

Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

May 23, 2023

House and Senate Democrats Override Veto Of S.5

May 23, 2023
Turtles Must Be Left in the Wild

Turtles Must Be Left in the Wild

May 16, 2023

Governor Phil Scott Announces BIPOC Business and Workforce Development Program

May 16, 2023
  • Home
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
Thursday, June 1, 2023
The World Online
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News & Features
    • Local News
    • Letters & opinions
    • George Shuman
    • Max’s View
    • Local Sports & Outdoors
    • Births
  • Calendar
    • Art Exhibits
    • Calendar of Events
    • Ongoing Events
  • Obituaries
  • Submit
    • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
    • Submit An Article To The World
    • Submit Letter To The Editor
    • Submit Sports News/Photo
    • Submit Birth Announcement
    • Submit Engagement Announcement
    • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Advertising
    • World Rates and Ad Sizes
    • World Distribution Map
    • World Deadlines
    • Audit and Reader Surveys
    • Advertising Inquiry
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ads
    • View Current Classifieds
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News & Features
    • Local News
    • Letters & opinions
    • George Shuman
    • Max’s View
    • Local Sports & Outdoors
    • Births
  • Calendar
    • Art Exhibits
    • Calendar of Events
    • Ongoing Events
  • Obituaries
  • Submit
    • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
    • Submit An Article To The World
    • Submit Letter To The Editor
    • Submit Sports News/Photo
    • Submit Birth Announcement
    • Submit Engagement Announcement
    • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Advertising
    • World Rates and Ad Sizes
    • World Distribution Map
    • World Deadlines
    • Audit and Reader Surveys
    • Advertising Inquiry
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ads
    • View Current Classifieds
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
The World Online
No Result
View All Result

Op-Ed: These Challenges Don’t Have to Be Insurmountable

vt-world by vt-world
January 29, 2019
in Letters & opinions
0

By Ross Sneyd

As with most adages, there’s truth to the one we hear a lot. Vermont can be an expensive place to live. After we pay the rent or mortgage, taxes, health care, transportation and heating, there’s often not much left over. It’s a fact of our rural economy. But that’s no reason to pack up and head off to some urban nirvana. (It can be expensive there, too, by the way.)

Instead, let’s take a look at some of the things we can do to bring down a few of the high costs all of us face – and to improve the Vermont economy at the same time. How? Let’s tackle two of the big cost drivers – transportation and heating – in a way that recognizes our Vermont traditions of innovation and respect for our rural lifestyle.

Because of where we live, Vermonters drive. A lot. With little public transportation and a dispersed population Vermonters rely heavily on their cars to run errands, bring kids to school, and get to work. Even with gas hovering around $2 a gallon, this is not cheap. Fueling up cars and keeping them maintained is a significant expense for Vermont families. Half of the money that Vermonters spend on energy goes to transportation, with a typical family spending $2,500 every year to fill up the tank.

Electric vehicles have to be a big part of the solution. They’re not just for the rich, you know. There are affordable models out there and a growing inventory of used electrics. We need to dispel the myth that electric vehicles are elitist. These cars can save Vermonters – all of us – money on both fuel and maintenance. Electric vehicles can save a car owner $1,200 or more on maintenance costs and will guard against increases and fluctuations in the price of gas. Electricity prices tend to be more stable and grow much more slowly. Additionally, driving electric vehicles will make Vermont more energy independent. Approximately $1.1 billion was spent in Vermont on gas in 2010. If all of that travel had been powered with electricity, the cost would have been $275 million – saving more than $800 million annually. That $800 million and a large portion of the electricity cost would have remained here in Vermont rather than flowing to other states and overseas.

Vermonters don’t just drive a lot. We also have to heat our homes. And this is also an expensive endeavor. The average Vermont household spends roughly $1,200 every year to heat their home. For some, it’s the second highest bill after mortgage payments or health insurance. A 2014 report on the energy costs and burdens in Vermont estimated that 1 in 5 Vermonters (or 125,000 of our neighbors) lives in fuel poverty – spending more than 10% of their monthly income on energy. 

Luckily for us there is a solution to this challenge as well: Keep the heat in your house. Weatherizing homes can save Vermonters a significant amount of money. The median household energy savings of fully weatherizing a home in Vermont is $900 per year. And as with driving electric vehicles, weatherizing our buildings will keep money in the Vermont economy. In 2013, Vermonters paid more than $500 million to import and use fossil-based heating fuels – most of this money left the Vermont economy. What’s more, Vermont’s weatherization program creates good paying jobs for Vermont electricians, builders, plumbers and other contractors, significantly helping our working families and rural economy.

Relying on Vermonters’ well-deserved reputation for frugality and creativity, these challenges don’t have to be insurmountable. The high costs of transportation and heating and the fate of our rural economy are challenges we can and should address. The Climate Economy Action Team is encouraging lawmakers to provide solutions to these challenges by waiving the sales tax towards the purchase of electric vehicles, building a program to help low-to-moderate income Vermonters enter the electric vehicle market by creating an incentive for new or used electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids and doubling Vermont’s Weatherization Program. Please join us by reaching out to your lawmakers and asking them to pass legislation that includes these important components. Doing so will make Vermont more affordable and make our rural economy healthier.

Ross Sneyd is director of corporate communications at National Life and a member of the Climate Economy Action Team, a group of stakeholders committed to boosting economic development, creating jobs, and attracting youth and creative entrepreneurs to Vermont.

Previous Post

Capstone Corner Presents: Free Tax Preparation

Next Post

Now Available on Netflix and Nominated for Best Picture

Next Post

Now Available on Netflix and Nominated for Best Picture

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This Week’s Ads

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
The World
403 US Route 302
Barre, VT 05641
Phone: (802) 479-2582

Copyright © 2019 The World Online. All Rights Reserved. Powered by CoolerAds.

No Result
View All Result
  • Art Exhibits
  • Audit and Reader Surveys
  • Births
  • Calendar
  • Contact Us
  • Daily Horoscope
  • Fall Guide
  • Food & Recipe
  • Home
  • Obituaries
  • Ongoing Events
  • Pay Your Bill Here
  • Senior Living Edition
  • Showtimes
  • Submit Birth Announcement
  • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
  • Submit Engagement Announcement
  • Submit Listing to our Local Directory
  • Submit Sports News/Photo
  • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Testimonials
  • The World Coupons
  • Weather Forecast
  • World Deadlines
  • World Distribution Map
  • World Rate Card
  • World Rates and Ad Sizes
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
  • About Us
  • Vermont Lottery
  • Advertising Information
  • The World Staff
  • Advertising Inquiry
  • Submit Letter To The Editor
  • Local Directory
  • Poll Results
  • Local Deals
  • Classifieds
  • Submit An Article To The World
  • Events
  • The World – This Week’s Online Digital Edition
  • The World Auto & Sports

Copyright © 2019 The World Online. All Rights Reserved. Powered by CoolerAds.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In