VITAL COMMUNITIES
Resources
Results Summary
301 new solar homes, 1.7 megawatts of new renewable energy …and counting!
Solarize Toolkit
Timelines, templates, and examples to help you plan a successful solar campaign.
Solarize Frequently Asked Questions
What happens at the site visit?
Before the site visit, the installer may ask you some questions over the phone or by email about your electricity usage, the orientation of your home, the age of your roof, whether there are large trees near your house, etc. The installer may also look at your home using satellite imagery.
If the installer believes you may have a viable site, they will schedule a site visit. Your site visit will be free and will usually take between 30 and 60 minutes. The installer will take pictures and take measurements related to solar exposure. The installer may also want to look at your electric meter, past electric bills, and sometimes also your roof rafters if there is any question of whether they can support the additional weight of a solar array.
If your site is better suited for a ground-mounted array, the installer will discuss possible locations with you.
After the site visit, the installer will send you a detailed quote.
How much does it cost to go solar?
Out of 181 contracts for solar signed through Solarize Upper Valley in 2015 (including many towns across the Upper Valley) the average gross cost (before incentives) was $23,810, and the average size was 6.01 kW. Of course, cost and system size will vary from house to house.
What rebates/credits are available?
The federal government offers a 30% federal income tax credit to homeowners who install residential solar arrays. Talk to your installer and consult a tax professional to determine how to apply.
Incentive programs in Vermont and New Hampshire can change from year to year. Ask you installer about current offerings.
How long does the process take, from site visit to solar installation?
The process can be as fast as a couple of months. It can take a few weeks to schedule a site visit and decide whether or not to go solar. If you decide to move ahead, it will take a week or two to secure state incentives and approval from your utility before your installer can start on your installation. The installation itself will take 1-3 days, after which your installer will walk you through everything you need to know about your new system, and your utility company will come plug your system into the grid so you can start saving.
What if I rent my home?
Talk with your landlord or purchase a share in a community-scale solar project located within your electric utility’s service territory (only available in Vermont as of Dec 2016).
What's Happening
Seeking Bids from Solar Installers by Nov. 30
Vital Communities is teaming up with Kearsarge Climate Action to launch a Solarize Kearsarge campaign in spring 2019, following on the tails of the up [...]
Lebanon Area Businesses – Join us on Sept. 27
So many small businesses in the Upper Valley are burdened with high energy costs. And not enough time to do anything about it!
We've got some g [...]
Get Stoked on Automated Wood Heat!
Boiler on its last legs? Looking to opt out of fossil fuels? Come learn about today's self-stoking automated wood heat! Opt out of oil with delivery o [...]
Weatherize Events in January
Weatherize Round Two kicks off this month across the Upper Valley region.
What is Weatherize?
Vital Communities partners community volunteer te [...]
Green Real Estate Network Kick Off
Working together to empower home buyers and sellers throughout the Upper Valley to understand home energy costs and invest in energy efficiency.
O [...]
Plug-In to Electric Vehicles at the Upper Valley Electric Vehicle Expo
Plug-In to Electric Vehicles at the Upper Valley Electric Vehicle Expo
Vital Communities, Upper Valley Sierra Club, and volunteers from several Upp [...]
Solar Expo in Lebanon 4/1
Solar Installers Expo
Hosted by the Plainfield, Cornish, Lebanon, and Enfield Energy Committees
Saturday, April 1 at 2 pm
Kilton Library at 80 Ma [...]
Why Weatherize?
Many thanks to our friends at CATV and Emily Gardner for helping our Hartford Weatherize volunteer team film this hilarious video explaining why YOU s [...]
FREE Button Up Workshop in Lebanon Oct. 19
FREE Button Up Workshop
Wednesday, October 19
6-6:30 pm Refreshments, gathering
6:30-7:45 pm Presentation
7:45-8:15 pm Q&A
Kilton [...]
Aug. 23 – Energy Independence Seminar
Would you like to be energy independent? Join Alan Johnson and Steve Spatz to learn how to reduce the energy use in your home or business.
Tuesday [...]
Vital Communities Program News
Think Local First & SAVE this Season!
Local and independent businesses bring value to our communities in many ways: preserving community character, creating stable jobs, supporting area organizations and nonprofits, and strengthening our local economy by keeping our dollars in the Upper ...more
Party Time! Annual Open House & a Concert!
Join us at The Engine Room to celebrate 25 years of Vital Communities making a positive difference in the Upper Valley! Get to know our staff, board, and other supporters while you enjoy wine and ...more
Shift Your Shopping this Season!
Every dollar spent at a local, independent business returns 2-4 times more to be re-spent in the community than a dollar spent at a non-local business. With consumers reporting that they will spend an average ...more
Crossroad Farm is the BOM!
Crossroad Farm is the Local First Alliance November Business of the Month and to celebrate they are raffling off all the fixing for a Thanksgiving feast – a Misty Knoll turkey and basket of local ...more
Crossroad Farm is the BOM!
Crossroad Farm is the November Business of the Month and to celebrate they are raffling off all the fixing for a Thanksgiving feast - a Misty Knoll turkey and basket of local veggies! Visit the their ...more
Bringing ‘Visions of a Better World’ to Your Community
Join Vital Communities for a community discussion on “Visions of a Better World: Social Movements for Transformation.” We will consider how millions of people across the U.S. and around the world, stirred by visions of ...more
Thank you, Ben!
This summer we had the privilege of working with Ben Fletcher, pictured second from left. Ben brought an incredibly well suited array of skills to Vital Communities and was a boon to the Valley Quest ...more
Whole Farm Planning Group
Starting or running a farm business can be all-consuming with tyranny of the urgent monopolizing your days, leaving little time to think about the big picture, review goals, or plan successful management strategies. Every farm ...more
2018 Farmer Celebration Mixer
Join us to celebrate the work we did together in 2018! Do your chores early, leave the spreadsheets behind, and come share some beer, crepes, and farm chat with fellow farmers as we celebrate the successful 2018 ...more
Donuts & Hogwarts: A Transit Travel Training Case Study
One thing a group of Millennial cartoonists doesn’t need is help using a smartphone app – especially an intuitive one that shows the real-time location of buses in the rural transit system, Advance Transit. No, ...more
Farmers' Market Roundtable
Join Vital Communities and NOFA VT for a Farmers' Market Roundtable November 7, 2018 from 4-7 pm at the Wilder Club & Library in Hartford, Vermont The roundtable is an opportunity to network, share market successes and challenges, gain ...more
Bird and Quest
The Vermont Center for Ecostudies lists 382 species of bird that occur in Vermont, whether year-long resident or migratory visitor. The VCE’s Vermont Atlas of Life citizen science operation has recorded sightings of 332 of ...more
Subbasin Spotlight!
This year's Aquatic Adventure Super Quest showcases the 5 subbasins that make up the Upper Connecticut River Valley, or, more fondly, the Upper Valley. A subbasin is a term used to describe a watershed within a ...more
A Lot Lighter with More Hands: Leadership Upper Valley
On the bright, sunny morning of June 13, Cobb Hill was waking up, and the soon-to-be graduating 2018 Leadership Upper Valley class was just arriving for their final meeting. Before the ceremony at Harpoon Brewery, ...more
Buses are FREE Thursday for Dump the Pump Day!
Join people around the Upper Valley and nationwide and take the bus Thursday, June 21 for the 13th annual Dump the Pump Day. Stagecoach and Connecticut River Transit ("The Current") will be FARE-FREE. And Advance Transit ...more
Y'all Curbed the Car!
On Friday, May 18, the Upper Valley celebrated its newest holiday: Curb the Car Day. Riffing off National Bike to Work Day, Curb the Car Day embraces all forms of non-drive-alone commutes: biking, walking, taking transit, ...more
Longevity & Commitment: Keynote Remarks from Heroes & Leaders 2018
Editor's Note: Many thanks to Kevin Peterson, Director of Economic Development for the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority, who offered the keynote speech at our May 3 Heroes & Leaders celebration. Read his complete remarks ...more
Long-Standing Stewards: Heroes & Leaders 2018
Every spring, Leadership Upper Valley, a program of Vital Communities, hosts a Heroes & Leaders celebration to recognize individuals who make significant contributions to the greater Upper Valley region. This year, Heroes & Leaders is ...more
Staff
Paige Heverly
Energy and Transportation Project Coordinator
Transportation, Energy
Transportation, Energy
— Paige Heverly, Energy and Transportation Project Coordinator
Paige Heverly joined Vital Communities in 2017 as the Energy and Transportation Project Coordinator. Hailing from the suburbs of Philadelphia, she moved to Vermont in 2011 and earned a joint BA in Renewable Energy and Ecological Design and Environmental Studies from Green Mountain College. After completing her Master of Energy Regulation and Law from Vermont Law School, Paige worked in energy efficiency consulting in Portland, Oregon. Her love of local food systems, the White River, and the Green Mountains brought her back to the Upper Valley to work on regional issues with localized solutions. Paige is passionate about closing ecological loops and treating waste as food. In her free time, she enjoys baking homemade English muffins, weeding her garden, and writing letters to her pen pals.
Sarah Brock
Energy Program Manager
Energy
Energy
— Sarah Brock, Energy Program Manager
Sarah Brock joined Vital Communities in 2013 as our Energy Program Manager. Through her work Sarah provides support for our region’s 40+ local energy committees, engaging with dozens of volunteers and clean energy businesses in programs like Solarize Upper Valley, Weatherize Upper Valley, and the Upper Valley Green Real Estate Network. Prior to joining the Vital Communities team, Sarah was an Environmental Philanthropy Associate with the High Meadows Fund, a supporting organization of the Vermont Community Foundation. Sarah now lives in Warner, New Hampshire, with her husband Zach and her chickens. When she's not busy advocating for energy efficiency, Sarah enjoys playing the trombone and taking walks in her backwoods to look for signs of New Hampshire's abundant wildlife.