Darren Springer, general manager of Burlington Electric Department, speaks at a press conference on Wednesday, Jan. 8. Photo courtesy of Burlington Electric DepartmentBurlington Electric Department announced on Wednesday that it has expanded the incentives customers can receive in 2025 when they switch their cars, heating systems, bicycles, lawn mowers and other appliances to those that are powered by electricity.The funds for the expanded incentives come from two sources: an existing efficiency charge on customers’ electric bills and a provision from a state energy law that requires utilities to fund projects that reduce fossil fuel consumption, for which the utility has a designated budget. Additionally, several recent laws have given the utility more flexibility to use their funds in new ways to promote both electrical efficiency and reduce fossil fuel emissions more broadly, said Darren Springer, the utility’s general manager. “As we begin the new year, with challenges ahead for federal climate policy, Burlington and BED are committed to doing our part to support climate progress,” Burlington Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak said at a press conference Wednesday. “I am pleased that BED, our municipal public power utility, is able to continue to offer strong incentives for electrification and to increase incentives for our low-income residents to make electrification even more accessible and affordable.”Many of the expanded incentives apply specifically to low-income customers. For example, the utility has increased an existing rebate of $1,500 for pre-owned electric vehicles to $2,000 for those with qualifying incomes. Rebates are increasing from $1,750 to $2,000 for level two electric vehicle chargers at multi-family dwellings, affordable housing units and buildings where at least 15% of residents have qualifying incomes. For heat pumps, rebates can cover up to 75% of the installed cost of ductless mini-split heat pumps, according to the utility, and rebates for heat pump hot water heaters are increasing for low-income households from $1,600 to $1,800. Rebates cover as much as $600 for a new electric bicycle, double the previous $300 cap, for all customers. That incentive cap increases to $850 for low-income customers. Burlingtonians can also get $150 rebates for electric push lawn mowers, which Springer said have been consistently popular.  In addition, the utility is piloting several new programs, one of which will allow renters to install battery storage in their homes. “It’s exciting because we don’t always have technologies that you can pilot with renters because sometimes they require permanent installation,” Springer said. The batteries can also help the utility manage electricity flows during times of peak usage. Incentive programs at Burlington Electric, some of which have existed since 2017, have been increasingly used, Springer said. It has distributed almost 1,000 rebates for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids — 23% of which have gone to low-income customers. “We’ve definitely seen steady growth with some programs really picking up,” Springer said. He also pointed to the heat pump rebate program, which has grown by at least 25 times since it began in 2020, he said. Meanwhile, many rebates for electric appliances have come from the federal government, and under the incoming Trump administration, it’s possible those would evaporate. Burlington Electric may be able to cover at least some of what customers would otherwise lose, according to Springer.“We’re considering what actions we might be able to take to step in to temporarily boost some of our incentives to help our customers bridge the gap,” he said. Burlington Electric isn’t the only utility to offer new incentive programs for 2025. Washington Electric Cooperative, which serves more than 40 towns in northeastern Vermont, is offering a $500 rebate for a new electric vehicle and $250 for a used one, with an added $500 for income-qualifying customers. They’re also offering up to $2,000 off heat pumps. Louis Porter, Washington Electric’s general manager, said the rural utility has access to different resources than larger, more urban operations, especially considering Burlington Electric serves as the area’s efficiency utility, giving them another source of funding. Efficiency Vermont serves as the efficiency utility — which provides services that make homes and businesses more energy efficient — for the rest of the state. “I very much applaud and support what BED is doing, and I am also proud of what WEC has done and continues to do in this area,” Porter said. “As a rural, nonprofit cooperative we are in quite different circumstances than they are in some important ways.”Other utilities, including Vermont Electric Cooperative and Green Mountain Power, are continuing to offer a suite of incentives to their customers without major changes for 2025. “The programs are all designed to help the participating customers save, and they’re also designed in a way to reduce costs for all GMP customers, too, through increased electrification,” said Kristin Carlson, a spokesperson for Green Mountain Power. Read the story on VTDigger here: Burlington Electric Department announces bigger incentives to switch to electric products.