AOT tells House panel it tracks heating fuel mix but data gaps limit statewide picture

Agency of Transportation officials told the House Transportation Committee on Feb. 3 that the agency met the statutory requirement to report its thermal-energy use but faces data and metering challenges that limit how precisely it can measure progress toward state renewable-heating goals.

Andrea Wright, the agency’s environmental policy manager, and Bridal McEvoy, service manager, presented the biannual thermal-energy report prepared under 19 VSA §45 and Act 148 of 2024. Wright said the statute requires AOT to report thermal-energy use to Buildings and General Services (BGS) every other year and that the agency’s first statutorily required submission was due in October 2025. “We are required to report just to BGS, it's not a report to the legislature, and we have to do that by October 1 of every other year,” Wright said.

The presentation said AOT manages roughly 430 buildings totaling more than 1,400,000 square feet and that approximately 900,000 square feet of that space is owned and heated by the agency. The report focuses on thermal energy (heating) and translates fuel consumption into BTUs to show the share of fossil and non‑fossil thermal fuels; staff said changes between fiscal years were small and influenced heavily by weather variability and heating-degree days.

Staff described a series of efficiency and fuel‑switching projects already underway or planned: LED lighting retrofits across maintenance garages, conversions from oil systems to heat pumps, wood‑fuel and pellet boilers at some garages (including the Swan garage) and several solar arrays installed at district sites. Brad, the AOT facilities manager referenced in the presentation, described recent site work and said larger new garage projects are being designed with pellet boilers and heat pumps for office areas, keeping fossil fuels only for backup generators.

Agency staff warned the committee that measuring the agency’s total energy picture is complicated by multiple billing and reporting systems. McEvoy said AOT uses an internal billing system and the Energy Star Portfolio Manager alongside BGS reporting; inconsistent metering, aggregation of multiple facilities on single bills, and manual data entry create the opportunity for inaccuracy. The agency also noted that Level 2 vehicle chargers recently installed at nine district offices are not on separate meters, so charging costs are not segregated from building electricity.

Wright and McEvoy said AOT is working with BGS to find a consistent statewide reporting system and to improve data collection and verification; they recommended clarifying the specific environmental metrics the committee wants tracked so staff can prioritize which outcomes (for example, greenhouse-gas reductions, chloride reductions, resilience or equity) to measure.

Committee members pressed for a more granular program breakdown tied to budget line items — for example, which grants or projects are included under "bike and pedestrian facilities" or "transportation alternatives" — and suggested the agency provide a chart listing programs and contacts for committee review. The panel also requested more information on the cost and performance of recent conversions and the number of buildings and meters affected.

The agency left the committee with next steps to produce more detailed, metric‑driven summaries and to work with BGS on tracking refinements. The presentation did not include a formal vote or committee action.

The committee followed the presentation with further budget and bill discussions and closed the update portion of the agenda.