February 2026 Net Zero Energy News
Get Help Paying Your Electric Bills with BED’s Energy Assistance Program
BED’s Energy Assistance Program (EAP) provides a 12.5 percent discount to income-qualified customers and non-profit housing organization customers that provide affordable housing or temporary shelter housing to individuals who meet the EAP income eligibility threshold at or below 185% of the federal poverty level. For housing organizations, the program requires that the housing entities receiving 12.5 percent electric bill discounts pass along the 12.5 percent benefits to their residents. Further, income-eligible net metering customers may enroll in the EAP due to resolution of a billing system challenge. We encourage our customers to apply by visiting burlingtonelectric.com/assistance.
Save Money with BED’s Boosted EV Rebates
Last fall, BED announced a temporary increase to our electric vehicle (EV) incentives to help offset the expiration of the federal tax credit for EV purchases. Despite the federal change, BED continued our commitment to the City’s Net Zero Energy goal and electrification strategy by BED boosting EV rebates on the purchase or lease of new EVs to $5,000, and $5,700 for income-qualified customers. These were increases from the prior levels of $2,300 and $3,000, respectively. BED plans to make these boosted incentives available through the end of 2026 or as long as incentive funds remain, whichever comes first, in an effort to make EV purchases as affordable as possible.
Upgrade Your Electric Panel
Thinking of adding an electric vehicle charger or heat pump to your house? Upgrading your home electric panel may be necessary. Currently, the costs of BED’s services to prepare your home for such an upgrade, including field crew visits to disconnect and reconnect your meter, have been covered in general rates by all ratepayers. The Vermont Public Utility Commission recently approved BED’s request to allocate these costs through a direct fee charged to the property owner benefiting from the service, as part of a broader miscellaneous fee update. In the case of an electric panel upgrade, the proposed fee for the necessary field crew visits to pull and reinstall meters is between $577 and $885, depending on the number of meters and whether the service is above or below ground. The new fees will be effective April 1, 2026. Therefore, customers who are considering electric panel upgrades may want to have this work done before the new fees take effect.
While some service fees are increasing or being implemented for the first time, others will be decreasing. For example, the fee for performing initial service for a returning BED customer will decrease from $30 to $5, and the fee for a first-time BED customer will decrease from $30 to $15. For a full list of BED’s miscellaneous service fees and to learn more about the reasoning behind the fee changes, please visit burlingtonelectric.com/miscfees.
BED also is proposing, if the legislature extends the Energy Efficiency Modernization Act (Act 142 of 2024), to include a new program to support income-eligible customers for panel upgrades necessary to support adding heat pumps, electric vehicle charging, or other electrification measures.