Getting Started

What is a town energy committee? These volunteer groups are the boots-on-the-ground energy and climate action leaders pushing the clean energy transition — moving away from fossil fuels toward a more just, efficient, and renewable energy future in Vermont. They can take many forms but their goals usually involve identifying opportunities for the town and its residents to reduce their energy use, switch to cleaner, renewable sources of energy,  and save money.

Getting involved in or starting an energy committee is one of the most powerful ways to take action and play a meaningful role in our energy and economic future. Below, find links to a collection of documents that aim to help start, strengthen, and ensure a successful committee:

The Town Energy and Climate Action Guide is our guide to starting, strengthening, and maintaining an effective committee.

Town Energy Committees: Community Powered Energy and Climate Change Solutions is a distilled version of our guide, which also includes action steps and ways to get involved.

The Vermont Community Energy Dashboard is a data driven resource for your town’s total energy use, installed renewable energy locations and a place to share stories of success. It’s a great place to familiarize yourself  with what is already going on in your town.

Waterbury LEAP: Starting a Town Energy Committee is a practical guide to starting and maintaining an effective committee from the Waterbury LEAP energy committee.

We also recommend reading our Energy Planning & Implementation Guidebook for Vermont Communities for instructions on local energy planning and our Communities Tackling Vermont’s Energy Challenge for great examples and case studies on energy and climate action projects from around the state.

Local Energy Solutions based in New Hampshire has produced the Strategic Energy Action Toolkit to help volunteer groups get more done by planning actions before jumping in.

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