Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power announced today it is the first utility in the nation to provide customers with true energy independence and offer the ultimate in customer empowerment: to go off-grid with a new package of products and services to increase energy independence and reduce carbon emissions by more than 30 percent. GMP stated that the product offering is fully customizable to meet the unique needs of each home or business and can include solar, battery storage, home automation and more.

Combining solar and battery storage, the Off-Grid package provides customers with the option to generate and store clean power for their home that would otherwise come from the grid. The Off-Grid package is customized for each customer and includes: an energy efficiency audit in partnership with Efficiency Vermont, solar array, battery storage, home automation controls that allow customers to easily manage energy resources and usage, and a generator for backup that may be used for short periods of time if needed. In addition to producing their own clean energy, customers will have a flat monthly fee for their energy instead of the fluctuations they experience today.

“This off-grid suite of products illustrates very well where energy is going and for us at GMP, we are not only part of the transformation, we are leading the revolution towards clean, affordable, local and highly reliable power,” said GMP President and CEO Mary Powell. “Our energy future is one where more of our energy is generated closer to where it is needed and is home, business, and community-based. We are excited to partner with customers in a way that leverages innovation to deliver a more cost-effective, reliable, and cleaner energy system.”

“At GMP we are laser focused on driving down costs for all of our customers, which is why customers are paying less today than they were three years ago,” said Powell.

Having more customers go off-grid may allow GMP to retire line sections over time, reducing maintenance costs that will directly lower costs for customers. In addition, off-grid homes, that otherwise would be connected to the grid, will no longer contribute to costly system peaks during peak summer energy days, lowering costs further and reducing the need to build and maintain lines to meet that demand.

Customers interested in the pilot program will work with a GMP energy services advisor to customize the system that is right for their home or business.

About Green Mountain Power

Green Mountain Power (GMP) serves approximately 265,000 residential and business customers in Vermont and is partnering with customers to improve lives and transform communities. GMP is focused on a new way of doing business to meet the needs of customers with integrated energy services that help people use less energy and save money, while continuing to generate clean, cost-effective and reliable power in Vermont. GMP is the first utility in the world to get a B Corp certification, meeting rigorous social, environmental, accountability and transparency standards and committing to use business as a force for good. In 2014, Vote Solar named GMP a Solar Champion. More information at: www.greenmountainpower.com. Connect with GMP on Facebook and Twitter @GreenMtnPower.

Source: COLCHESTER, Vt. – Green Mountain Power 12.20.2016. For more information on Off-Grid go to: www.greenmountainpower.com/innovative/off-grid-package/ or call Craig Ferreira at 1-802-747-6818 or 1-888-835-4672.