On May 2, 2018

GMP extends deadline to enter and win Rutland Innovation Home

RUTLAND—Rutland’s Innovation Home, a super-efficient home at 60 Cleveland Avenue to be given away in a contest designed to raise awareness about available jobs, energy innovation and the community, is weeks ahead of schedule – and organizers are extending the deadline to apply to win it, to June 18.

Green Mountain Power, Naylor & Breen Builders, the United Way of Rutland County, NBF Architects and dozens of partners started the project Feb. 26, and after just eight weeks are within a month of completion. Siding is going up, the interior got its first coat of paint on Monday, and lights, flooring and appliances will soon be installed.

The cutting-edge, energy-smart home replaces a dilapidated house purchased for $1 from the city of Rutland. The prize includes the mortgage-free home, complete with solar, heat pumps, two Tesla Powerwall storage batteries, a pellet stove and an innovative insulation package, a local “concierge” to provide assistance with job searches and business and personal contacts, and free co-working space if desired at GMP’s Energy Innovation Center downtown.

“By extending the contest deadline and showing off the nearly complete home, we think we can further spread the word about Rutland, available jobs and the contest,” said GMP Vice President Steve Costello.

Tanner Romano, vice president at Naylor & Breen Builders, who is overseeing construction, said this has been a great partnership with so many businesses excited to be part of the project. “Our subcontractors have done an amazing job, completing every facet of the project quicker than expected, while ensuring high-quality work,” Romano said.

Students from Stafford Technical Center and the College of St. Joseph helped install decking, hand rails, and siding Friday, April 28.

Costello said applications to win the home continue to arrive almost daily, some from local residents but the majority from other states.

“We’ve had applications from California, New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, and throughout New England and New York,” Costello said. “Many applicants have ties to and are passionate about Vermont, and the Rutland area in particular. Reviewing the applications has been a great reminder of things many of us take for granted: our beautiful surroundings, world-class skiing and recreation, the sense of community, quality education, low crime rates, and deeply rooted arts and cultural opportunities.”

Entry into the contest, which is free to any U.S. citizen over the age of 18, requires submission of a 500-word essay explaining why the applicant wants to live in the Rutland Innovation Home and what the individual or family would bring to community life in Rutland.

The contest will end at midnight Eastern Daylight Time June 18, 2018. Contest information and complete rules are at Rutland Innovation Home Contest.

A nine-member committee of community and business leaders will select 10 finalists based on their applications and essays, and will select the winner based on the essays, background checks and interviews. The 1,500-square-foot traditional New England farmhouse style, designed by NBF’s Edward Clark, will include three bedrooms, one and a half baths, a wide front porch, and the latest in energy technology and controls.

Do you want to submit feedback to the editor?

Send Us An Email!

Related Posts

Pride in Rutland: Flags, resistance, and showing up

June 25, 2025
By Emily Pratt Slatin Pride returned to downtown Rutland this June with more color, noise, and purpose than ever before. What began as a joyful celebration quickly became something deeper—something that felt like resistance. And belonging. And a promise that no one in this community has to stand alone. The day kicked off with the…

Plan to manage 72,000 acres of the Telephone Gap project is finalized

June 25, 2025
Staff report The U.S. Forest Service issued its final plan for managing 72,000 acres of public and private land on June 16. The proposed Telephone Gap Integrated Resource Project area is located on the Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF) within the towns of Brandon, Chittenden, Goshen, Killington, Mendon, Pittsfield, Pittsford, and Stockbridge. “The Telephone Gap project is…

Hot air balloons took flight over Quechee

June 25, 2025
By James Kent This past weekend, June 21-22, people came from all over New England to participate in the 45th annual Hot Air Balloon Festival. Music, food, games, and fun were available for all ages throughout the weekend, but the main attraction was the hot air balloons. And for those looking to see these gigantic,…

Killington residents push for skate park as town reimagines recreation future 

June 25, 2025
By Greta Solsaa/VTDigger As Killington celebrates the 50th anniversary of its recreation center, some residents are pushing to make a skate park a new permanent fixture of the town’s summer offerings.  The town crafted its recreation master plan to holistically determine how to best use its resources to serve residents in the future, Recreation Department Director Emily Hudson…