Energy Action Network: Vermont spent about $3.3 billion on energy in 2023; price spikes drove large household pain

Jared Duvall, executive director of Energy Action Network (EAN), told the Natural Resources & Energy committee that EAN’s latest annual report estimates Vermont’s total energy spending in 2023 at roughly $3.3 billion, with more than $2 billion paid for fossil fuels used in transportation and heating.

"The answer for the latest year for which we had full data in 2023 is over $3,000,000,000, $3,300,000,000," Duvall said, presenting EAN’s statewide tally and the report’s visuals. He said gasoline spending alone approached $1 billion in 2023 and fuel oil and propane together were about $700 million.

EAN emphasized how price volatility, not consumption growth, drove the 2021–2022 spike. Duvall noted fossil‑fuel consumption was essentially unchanged between 2021 and 2022, but total spending rose by about $700 million in a single year because of global commodity price movements around Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. "Fossil fuels are 100% imported into Vermont," he added, arguing that import dependence amplifies price exposure.

The report translated statewide totals to household impact. Using an "average" Vermont household profile (two gasoline vehicles and typical heating load), Duvall said the 2021–2022 price spike…