Net Zero Energy Podcast

Sebbi Wu, Climate and Equity Advocate at VPIRG, and BED GM Darren Springer discuss the City of Burlington charter change that affects new construction. They also talk about the equity ballot question, our new Net Zero Energy yard signs, and the new rental weatherization policy.

Chef Chris Galarza is the founder of Forward Dining Solutions which is a resource for electric induction cooking. Chris consults with large commercial restaurants and with homeowners about the co-benefits moving away from gas cooking to electric.

Directed by Jenna Antonino DiMare, the Burlington 2030 District is public-private partnership that encourages commercial property owners and building managers in our city to reduce fossil fuel use from buildings, transportation and through stormwater mitigation.

Betsy Lesnikoski, BED’s Chief Forester, ensures that the wood burned at McNeil is harvested sustainably and ethically.

Burlington Architect Jesse Beck discusses his unique house in Burlington — that his wife calls “the boxcar on stilts” — and how they’re “cutting the pipe” and transitioning it to Net Zero Energy. Jesse also shares his work with the Burlington 2030 District, a private/public partnership working to reduce building energy consumption. Jesse and Jennifer also talk about the City of Burlington Historic Buildings’ Path to Net Zero Energy guide.

Burlingtonian Suzanne Garrity shares her experience driving her new electric vehicle all over New England – not just around town. She was able to make the transition more easily than she had expected.

Arthur Chukhman specializes in Passive House which is a standard for constructing homes with ultra-low energy use for heating and cooling. Arthur built and lives in Burlington’s first passive house located in the Old North End. Even if this level of efficiency isn’t possible for you, there are so many individual ideas and strategies we can take away from the standard and apply to our own homes.

Old Spokes Home’s Transportation Equity Coalition works to address the biggest transportation equity challenges in our city. Transportation is one of the main pillars of our transition away from fossil fuels and getting everybody on board regardless of income level is essential. So today, we’re talking with Jill Allen of the Old Spokes Home Transportation Equity Coalition about the group’s efforts and her experiences.

Electric Vehicles are becoming more and more mainstream all the time. Though there are many advantages to driving electric – like lower fuel and maintenance costs – there are still some legitimate concerns. Today, I’m talking with David Roberts from Drive Electric Vermont about the state of EV technology and his own experiences with EVs.

With passage of the Net Zero Energy Revenue Bond in December, General Manager Darren Springer is excited to share Burlington Electric Department’s plans for improving our city’s electric infrastructure and BED’s rebate programs.