Total Energy News – August 2026 | Energy Action Network

Total Energy News | August 2026

Greetings!

The EAN Vermont Energy Dashboard has just been updated with 2025 data. We know many communities look forward to seeing their updated data when it is released each year. You can read more about the dashboard below, and explore the new data on our website.

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The seventh year of EAN’s Summer Research Internship program is already coming to a close. We hope you will join us for our interns’ lunch-and-learn presentations on August 13th, 2026 at noon. Audrey Leida will be presenting on “Opportunities and Challenges for Affordable, Equitable Access to EV Charging in Vermont,” and Riley McCallister will be reporting on “Vermont’s Home Weatherization Assistance Trust Fund as a Mechanism for Funding Energy Efficiency Upgrades in Low-to-Moderate Income Housing.” Register now.

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We also hope you are planning to join us on September 23rd for the 2026 EAN Annual Network Summit at the Farmhouse at the Essex Resort.

Summit Registration is open, with early-bird rates available until August 24th. (We are very grateful to the sponsors listed below who are helping to make this event possible! If your business or organization is interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact Cara (crobechek@eanvt.org). If your organization is already a sponsor as shown below, you can use the promo code SPONSOR to access one of your complimentary registrations.)

There are also additional opportunities to get involved with August 19th deadlines:

Proposals are requested by August 19th for short 5-10 minute presentations at the EAN Summit to address the question: “What should the EAN Network know or focus on now to help Vermont and Vermonters cut costs and pollution from continued overreliance on fossil fuels?”

Nominations are requested by August 19th for the Anne & Arthur Berndt Award and the Leigh Seddon Award.

Hope you are enjoying the summer,

Cara, Jared, and Luke

News from the World

Energy Department disappears website’s energy-saving tips as costs soar

The agency purged resources for people looking to conserve energy and lower bills — right after it proposed a rule to “permanently end” appliance mandates.

Canary Media

Plug-in solar panels are starting to sprout in U.S. backyards

Ten U.S. states have legalized systems that can be plugged into standard wall outlets. The technology typically does not require permits or electricians.

New York Times

Trump admin bans ‘new’ foreign-made inverters. What does that mean?

A just-issued national security ban appears to exclude existing inverters for solar and battery projects — but future models could face restrictions, experts say.

Canary Media

Profile | EAN’s Vermont Energy Dashboard

EAN’s Vermont Energy Dashboard tracks progress toward the adoption of key clean energy technologies, with data on:

electric vehicles
cold-climate heat pumps
heat pump water heaters, and
home weatherization.

The tool visualizes technology adoption over time and at multiple geographic levels.

EAN updates this data annually, and the 2025 data has just been added. Explore the tool to see the progress being made in adopting these technologies for the state as a whole or in specific towns, counties, or regional planning commission territories.

Access the EAN Vermont Energy Dashboard here.

Data Download | Impacts of the Iran war on Vermont’s fossil fuel costs

At the prices Vermonters were paying for fossil fuels before the war in Iran started, statewide costs would have been $475.3 million dollars for gasoline, diesel, and fuel oil between March and June of 2026. However, fossil fuel prices rose rapidly in March and April, and stayed high through the end of June. This increased the cost for Vermont purchasers of gasoline, diesel, and fuel oil by an additional $160.4 million during these four months compared to what would have been the case had prices for those fuels remained at pre-war levels. This was $160.4 million that could have otherwise been spent on necessities like food, housing, and health care for Vermont residents. For Vermont businesses, these higher prices drove up their cost of doing business, eating into profit margins and/or forcing them to increase prices on customers to make up for higher fuel expenses.

This is a new graph that will appear in the 2026 EAN Annual Progress Report for Vermont on Energy, Affordability, and Emissions, which will be released in September.

Events and Opportunities

2026 EAN Summer Research Intern Lunch-and-Learn

Please join us to hear Riley McCallister reporting on “Vermont’s Home Weatherization Assistance Trust Fund as a Mechanism for Funding Energy Efficiency Upgrades in Low-to-Moderate Income Housing” and Audrey Leida presenting “Opportunities and Challenges for Affordable, Equitable Access to EV Charging in Vermont.”

Thursday, August 13th at noon on Zoom

Learn more and register

2026 EAN Annual Network Summit

Join other Network members and partners to learn about the latest data and analysis on energy affordability and Vermont’s energy and climate commitments, hear from energy leaders from Vermont and beyond sharing new ideas, and connect and network with other energy leaders in the state.

Wednesday, September 23rd – Essex, Vermont

Learn more and register

VW Environmental Mitigation Trust Request for Applications

Funding from Vermont’s allocation of the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust is now available to help public and private fleets of all sizes replace diesel vehicles and equipment with zero-emission options. Beginning July 1st, Vermont DEC is accepting applications for vehicle and equipment electrification projects. Applications are due on the last day of each month, with awards announced monthly. A total of $5,909,575 is available for projects that significantly reduce emissions from diesel-powered vehicles, engines, and equipment operating in Vermont.

Learn more

Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) 2026 Vermont Community Leadership Summit

This year’s Summit is grounded in VCRD’s newly updated Vermont Community Leadership in Action Guide, which will shape workshops, panels, group discussions, and networking throughout the day. Join hundreds of community builders from across the state to explore practical tools and strategies for leadership including facilitation skills, community engagement and volunteerism, local economic vitality, advancing community projects, and more.

Tuesday, October 6th in Castleton

Learn more

EAN Network Action Teams

EAN Network Action Teams meet regularly. If you are interested in joining meetings of any EAN Network Action Teams or Coalitions, contact Cara cara@eanvt.org.

Learn more

The Vermont Total Energy Ticker

Vermont’s largest energy source is now a virtual power plant

Green Mountain Power’s virtual power plant (VPP) – the state’s largest energy source – cut an estimated $6 million from all customers’ peak electricity costs during Vermont’s early July heat wave.

electrek

‘Broken’ trust: Energy site redevelopment company seeks Vernon community input on former VT Yankee plant uses

Vernon Selectboard members are raising concerns about being left out of the planning process for the future of the former nuclear power plant.

VT Digger

Vermont and New York join states suing EPA over rule weakening refrigerant phaseout

VT and NY are among states suing the EPA over a rule change they say would weaken regulations designed to phase out the use of hydrofluorocarbons.

WCAX

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Blog Assessing the Impact of Recent Fossil Fuel Price Increases on Vermonters June 12, 2026 Many Vermonters are asking: how are the fossil fuel price spikes resulting from the Iran war affecting Vermont, both at the consumer and statewide levels? Here is EAN’s...

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