Construction is underway on a major solar hot water project that will save energy, lower fuel bills, create "green jobs," and help the environment. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday stopped by Highgate Housing, a  apartment complex in Barre, Vt.  The work underway there is one of nine innovative energy efficiency and renewable energy projects throughout Vermont that are being funded under a $1 million U.S. Department of Energy grant secured by Sanders.

The federal funding will help pay to install solar hot water panels on fourteen of the sixteen buildings at Highgate Apartments.  "In addition to being good for the environment, this project makes good economic sense.  Highgate Apartments will save tens of thousands of dollars each year in energy costs, which strengthens the economic viability of the housing over the long term," Sanders said.