Vermont offers cash to convert coal heat to wood pellets

Vermont’s Clean Energy Development Fund has a new program to help homeowners and businesses convert from old coal systems to new, cleaner wood pellet heating.

The fund now offers Vermont homeowners up to $10,000 to help pay the costs of switching to cleaner wood pellet systems. Commercial customers can receive up to $30,000 for changing-out a coal heating system to an eligible pellet system.

Fund Director Andrew Perchlik says there are still coal heating systems in Vermont and some of the owners would be interested in replacing them.

“We want to help them afford to get these old systems out of their basements,” Perchlik said. “This is part of our effort to transform the state’s heating sector to be cleaner and more supportive of Vermont’s local economy.”