Keeping warm at the right price; A quick look at what you can do as the temperatures drop

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Layers, movement and energy

In Vermont, most of the state’s underlying social issues are related to housing in some way, and heat joined the list this summer, thanks in part, to the Clean Heat Standard.

But then, Vermont has always been cold. So what changed his past year?

Like everything else since the COVID-19 pandemic, the latest conversation around indoor heating has been spurred by rising costs, changing demographics and a lackluster housing stock.

Admittedly, explaining all that isn’t going to help anyone actually keep their homes warm.

Instead, this past week, I sat down with Dwight Decoster, who thinks a lot about how to keep a place toasty. He’s the head of the Champlain Valley Weatherization program, a Colchester-based nonprofit where he and his team upgrade 240 homes per year as part of a state-funded program.

To meet with Decoster, a homeowner can apply to the program through the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity, where applicants are weighed and ranked according to need. There’s a point system, but if you fit the state’s criteria, Decoster’s crew could show up to take a look over your property and start identifying the best ways to bring it up to 21st century heating standards.

Through the program, a client can get their homes weatherized for free.