Rutland officials are kicking off a countywide competition to encourage energy efficiency.
The competition offers $10,000 rewards to towns that show the greatest percentage of home energy improvements and the highest average energy savings per home.
Sen. Bernie Sanders will help kick off the competition today, and says the funding is available under an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program that was created by one of his bills. The competition kicks off a 1 p.m. today the headquarters of NeighborWorks of Western Vermont in West Rutland.
He says the challenge is part of a larger effort to produce 1,000 home energy upgrades throughout Rutland County, saving homeowners more than $1,000 on average in their annual energy costs. So far, 500 energy audits have been performed and retrofits are under way or completed on 250 homes.