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Building energy-code hearing surfaces disputes over training timelines, oversight and funding
Summary
Testimony on H.718 focused on when a new energy education module should take effect, whether it should be tied to licensure, which agencies should administer code enforcement, and OPR’s request for task-force funding and support to create voluntary certifications.
The Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee heard extensive stakeholder testimony on H.718, a bill addressing building energy codes and related education modules for trades and design professionals. Witnesses ranged from trade associations and architects to the Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) and the Division of Fire Safety, and they pressed lawmakers for clearer deadlines, funding and consistent enforcement structures.
Matt Cota, representing the Heating Cooling Contractors of Vermont, urged the committee to clarify implementation timing for a required energy education module. "If you make this a condition of licensure on July 1, 2026, that's impossible for us to implement," he said, arguing that a Jan. 1, 2028 effective date would give regulators and training providers realistic time to design and roll out new…
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