Friday in Manchester: Rob Roper to discuss what ‘Vermont climate policy will mean for you’

Can Vermont afford the plans put forward by our legislators? What excessive costs will the green agenda rain down on Vermont inhabitants?

EAI board member Rob Roper will answer those questions and more during a public speaking event 5:30 – 7 p.m. Friday at the Manchester Community Library in Manchester Center, Vermont. The library is located at 138 Cemetery Ave.

The following letter by Kathy Wagner of Sandgate is a reflection on the concerns many Vermonters have about the state’s uncertain green energy future — concerns that Roper will be happy to address during the event:

Vermont as we know and love it has an abundance of natural beauty, fresh air and generally happy inhabitants. I wonder how, in such a small State with a low population, some people can have such a determination to eliminate our green house gas emissions, especially from the heating sector. Are these emissions really excessive? Is our health dramatically compromised by these emissions?

Are we to follow Europe with their green agenda, which led them to abandon nuclear power plants, ban fracking and extraction of natural gas reserves? That left them with solar and wind energy, which have been proven to be insufficient in providing enough energy to heat homes and energy for all aspects of food production, among other things. Energy and food security are vital for a nation’s and our States’ well being. A Europe gone green has crippled their energy independence, and now they must rely mainly on Putin’s Russian gas to be piped into their countries. Having to depend on a nation that invades a neighboring country and indiscriminately kills thousands of innocent civilians isn’t really a good idea, is it?

It is all well and good to incorporate renewable energy in Vermont, but expecting that to replace fossil fuels which provide us the means for most of our transportation and home heating, is not practical or reasonable. We especially do not need forced inducement by bills such as H.715, an act relating to the Clean Heat Standard. This bill establishes more groups, more committees, more consultants, more administrators and will require over $1 million for FY 2023. A complicated credit system is involved, which will pressure and then ‘punish’ those who do not meet the obligations of this unelected group of people. Vermont citizens are already feeling the pinch of inflation and high costs for our heating fuel, gas for our vehicles and food. We don’t need more interference to jack up costs even more!

Kathy Wagner
Sandgate, Vermont

4 thoughts on “Friday in Manchester: Rob Roper to discuss what ‘Vermont climate policy will mean for you’

  1. What drives this switch to heat pumps are the subsidies. I have one. I do like it a lot in the summer. I have kinda dialed it in to work with my forced hot air furnace. Regardless of what they tell you it’s hard to heat (my 1852) house when it gets below zero. It works but the efficiency drops so much it’s not worth using it. The furnace chugs along fine. I don’t think I could do a complete weatherization project, also subsidized, to make a difference. My exterior walls have no cavities to insulate.

    I would like to add a few more heat pumps / mini-splits but they seem to be just out of reach financially.

    But….as the price of heating oil blows up my energy budget, it seems I could purchase one at the price as filling the 275 gallon fuel tank. My feeling is it was planned this way….spike energy prices as a means to push all that is electric. Subsidize everything that is electric- vehicles, heat/AC, solar, windmill, (hydro, nuclear…ok, not these)

    When will our ability to deliver adequate power to our homes and businesses be crushed by demand? And where will the ones who brought us here be when that happens? Accountability….

    • Since people believe that electricity comes from the outlet, or deeper thinking “from the power pole”
      Where will this enormous new electric power load come from?
      Didn’t we just trash our beautiful new nuclear power plant with the same emotional fervor?
      as we are NOW trashing fuel oil and natural gas, for winter heating of our homes and water pipes,
      factories, schools, retail, gov’t buildings.

      Lets go ZERO Fossile Fuel oil at the statehouse next winter as an sure way to guage this TEST !?!?

    • Same experience, they should be called cool pumps. Not so good when called on for heat.

  2. EXCERPT from:

    HEAT PUMPS ARE MONEY LOSERS IN MY VERMONT HOUSE, AS THEY ARE IN ALMOST ALL NEW ENGLAND HOUSES
    https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/heat-pumps-are-money-losers-in-my-vermont-house-as-they-are-in

    Vermont “Electrify-Everything” Goals Will Cost $Billions and Will Reduce Little CO2

    The Vermont state government wants to electrify-everything (heat pumps, electric cars, and transit and school buses, no matter the:

    1) Very high turnkey capital cost,
    2) Very meager energy cost savings
    3) Very meager CO2 reductions, on an A-to-Z, lifetime basis.

    VT-DPS Survey of Vermont Heat Pumps

    VT-DPS commissioned CADMUS to perform a survey of Vermont heat pumps, after numerous complaints from HP users regarding: 1) high electric bills and 2) minimal annual savings

    The average energy cost savings regarding HPs was about $200/HP, as proven by the CADMUS survey report of operating data of 77 existing HP installations.

    Those meager energy savings would be more than offset by the annual amortizing cost of $4,500/HP at 3.5%/y for 15 years, plus any annual maintenance costs, and parts and labor costs. HPs are money losers for Vermonters. See URLs

    The result of Vermont’s HP saga been:

    1) Lucrative benefits to the Efficiency-Vermont-Approved HP installers
    2) Lucrative benefits to Canadian-owned GMP, which sells oodles more high-priced electricity.
    3) Everyone else getting royally screwed; an example of “fighting” climate change, a la Don-Quixote tilting at wind mills.

    My Experience with Heat Pumps in my Well-Insulated, Well-Sealed House

    I installed three heat pumps by Mitsubishi, rated 24,000 Btu/h at 47F, Model MXZ-2C24NAHZ2, each with 2 heads, each with remote control; 2 in the living room, 1 in the kitchen, and 1 in each of 3 bedrooms.

    The HPs have DC variable-speed, motor-driven compressors and fans, which improves the efficiency of low-temperature operation.
    The HPs last about 15 years. Turnkey capital cost was $24,000. GMP, the electric utility, provided a $2,400 subsidy.
    http://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/vermont-co2-reduction-of-HPs-is-based-on-misrepresentations

    My house has a wall-hung, efficient, propane furnace to provide: 1) space heating, and 2) domestic hot water, year-round.

    The basement has a near-steady temperature throughout the year, because it has 2” of blueboard, R-10, on the outside of the concrete foundation and under the basement slab; the thermal storage of the concrete acts as a temperature stabilizer, which has saved me many thousands of space heating dollars over 35 years.

    Winter Operation: Downstairs heads are used for space heating during winter. Upstairs heads are always off during winter.
    If the sun is shining, my south-facing house warms up, and the HPs can be turned off by about 10 AM. They are turned on again around 4 to 5 PM

    The basement has two small propane heaters to provide space heat to my 1,300 sq ft basement during winter; that heat rises to warm up the first floor. The heaters require no electricity, which is beneficial during a power outage.

    Summer Operation: The downstairs and upstairs heads are used for space cooling during hot days in summer

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