September 2026 Net Zero Energy News
Net Zero Energy Festival thank you! We offer sincere thanks to the hundreds of community members who joined us at Waterfront Park on a beautiful August summer day for BED’s 5th Annual Net Zero Energy Festival, during which we had a supercharged day of family fun with activities for people of all ages focused on reducing fossil fuel use and electrifying everything. Thank you as well to our event partners who made the Festival extra special. Star 92.9’s celebrity radio personalities, Mike & Mary emceed the event, and CHAMP, the Vermont Lake Monsters amazing mascot, joined us and officially started the RunVermont kid powered fun run. Sambatucada played a variety of rhythms on its drums. Chef John from Shelburne Farms prepared a delicious pasta dish for the tasting during a Copper Home Charlie induction stove cooking demo with Copper’s Chef Rachelle on hand. Local appliance store Bouchard-Pierce joined us with another induction cook stove. We enjoyed renewably powered food truck delights from American Flatbread, Micro Mobile Kitchen, and Urban Retreat. Thanks to the Scoop for serving up ice cream. Visitors enjoyed games and activities, including corn hole and a solar powered bubble maker. Vermont Energy Education Program (VEEP) and ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, joined us to help the kids build a deep understanding of energy and climate through interactive equipment. Ski Rack and Local Motion were on hand to offer electric bike test-rides, and Old Spokes Home’s mobile bike repair unit was in action. We showcased electric vehicles, including BED’s all-electric bucket truck. BED energy experts enjoyed engaging with the community by answering a host of questions about electrifying everything.
Aerial view from the all-electric bucket truck
Rebates for Going Electric. To help make progress toward Burlington’s Net Zero Energy goal, BED offers a significant set of customer rebates and incentives. Whether you are considering driving electric, biking electric, mowing electric, heating and cooling electric, and more, BED has rebates to help make it possible. Please visit burlingtonelectric.com/rebates to learn more.
Net Zero Energy Podcast. The City’s goal is to reduce, and eventually eliminate, fossil fuel usage. In our BED podcast series, Director of Sustainability Jennifer Green and her guests share ways we all can reduce our energy usage for heating, driving, and everything else we plug in. Please check out our latest episodes, including guests:
- Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak shares her thoughts about the City’s critical climate resilience and adaption strategies. This landmark 100th episode offers an incredibly transparent look at building a sustainable, healthy, and resilient community.
- James Gibbons, BED Director of Policy and Planning, discusses strategies for managing a 100% renewably-powered energy portfolio.
- Nate Gunesch, former Department of Energy Innovator Fellow at BED, shares how BED’s new Building GIANTS program helps reduce peak power demand, lower carbon emissions, and save money for Burlingtonians.
You can subscribe to our podcast by searching “Net Zero Energy” on your podcast app or by visiting burlingtonelectric.com/pod.
Net Zero Energy Yard Signs. Are you driving, mowing, or biking electric? Heating your home with a cold climate heat pump? Using energy efficient appliances? Walking, biking, or riding the bus? Have you weatherized your home? Thank you for taking steps along the path to Net Zero Energy! We hope you will spread the word to your friends and neighbors by planting a Net Zero Energy sign in your yard. We invite you to have conversations with as many members of our community as possible about what you have done to reduce your carbon footprint. Visit burlingtonelectric.com/yardsign to request home delivery of your sign.
The BED Team wishes you a wonderful end of summer