Vermont lawmakers hear plan to scale weatherization; officials warn workforce and funding shortfalls threaten 120,000‑home goal

At a meeting of the House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee, conveners and program leaders outlined a statewide push to expand home weatherization and said a shortage of trained workers and a roughly $600 million funding gap put an ambitious “weatherize 120,000 homes by the end of the decade” target at risk. Cara Robichek, deputy director and network manager at Energy Action Network, and Richard Fazy, principal at Energy Futures Group, described current program activity and financing; Will Schwartz, workforce development manager at Efficiency Vermont, laid out workforce training and retention challenges.

The coalition’s work matters because weatherization reduces household energy bills, lowers greenhouse‑gas emissions and improves the effectiveness of home electrification, the witnesses said. "We mobilized in 2021 for this ambitious goal of weatherizing 120,000 homes by the end of the decade," Robichek said. Committee members and presenters emphasized the equity need to prioritize low‑ and moderate‑income residents and rental housing.

Committee members were shown state tracking data and…