Energy Programs

RESIDENTIAL ENERGY PROGRAMS

Whether you rent or own your home in the County, the Department of Environmental Protection has programs and resources to help you become more energy efficient and find renewable energy options. DEP also has programs for commercial and multifamily building owners and managers to reduce your energy bills. At 1 million residents and counting, we can all work together to cut our energy use and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Explore our programs or come to one of our upcoming events to learn more. Any event with a đź’ˇ means that it will be a Light Bulb Exchange.

Montgomery Energy Connection

Montgomery Energy Connection is a network of County Government and community partners. The website and the program was created to provide customized education on the benefits of energy efficiency, availability of programs, and opportunities for assistance. The goal of the program is  for us all to work together to help spread the message about home energy efficiency in our community.

Montgomery Energy Connection News is a monthly newsletter that is sent out to residents and businesses and covers energy information and events in the County. It is curated by the Department of Environmental Protection’s Residential Energy Program. Subscribe to our monthly newsletters by clicking here.

If you have any energy questions, email energy@montgomerycountymd.gov or call 301-7-ENERGY

P.O.W.E.R.

Peer Outreach With Energy Resources (P.O.W.E.R) is an internship program for high school students in Montgomery County, Maryland, training students to provide energy education presentations at public libraries. Everything in our universe has energy. That’s why our mission is to empower youth to apply their knowledge of energy types, efficiency, and conservation in their everyday lives. As kids learn how their actions have positive and negative impacts on energy and the environment, teens develop the versatile skills they need to lead on issues they care about.

 

Annual Events

Shop Maryland ENERGY Weekend

Each year over the President’s Day weekend, Maryland shoppers can take advantage of our state’s Shop Maryland Energy Tax Free Weekend and save the 6% sales tax on qualifying ENERGY STAR appliances; beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday through midnight on Monday. This statewide sales tax holiday showcases the vital role that energy efficient appliances play for residents, businesses and our environment.

Energy Express

Energy Express is a summer event for kids and families to learn about energy usage. As a partnership between the Department of Environmental Protection and Montgomery County Public Libraries, these presentations will take place across the County’s libraries and take the annual Summer Reading Program theme and add an energy lens to them! These presentations are interactive and are often led by our P.O.W.E.R. Interns.

Larissa Johnson teaches residents at an Energy Exploration event.

Energy Action Month

National Energy Action Month takes place every October! It is an annual celebration that has been around since 1990 as a way to increase public understanding of our Nation’s energy needs and the energy choices available to us. The Department of Energy even has a checklist for home owners that outlines actions that conserve energy within your home. Every year, since 2016, we have focused on ways to help residents become energy savvy.

Outreach Opportunities

Energy BINGO

This is a combination of BINGO and Jeopardy— a game all about energy efficiency! The game takes about 45 minutes, and players win energy saving measures like LED light bulbs. One final winner wins a Home Energy Kit.
Perfect For: PTAs, Family Nights, Senior Centers, Recreation Centers, Libraries, and other locations.
Audience: Adults
Giveaways: Energy saving measures

ENERGY EXPLORATION

This is a fun, interactive, energy-saving experience for the whole family. Parents and kids can feel the difference between incandescent and LED lightbulbs with our hand crank and we can also provide light plate switches for students to design with their own energy saving messages.
Perfect For: Schools, STEM Nights, Back-to-School Events, After School Programs, Green Teams, Recreation Centers, Congregations, and other locations.
Audience: Families
Giveaways: Energy saving measures

ENERGY STARS

We’ve created a kid-friendly activity book and curriculum featuring the furry and friendly Energy Stars! Kids and adults alike can rock on to their catchy sing-along videos with fun and easy energy saving tips! These colorful, celebrated Energy Stars investigate energy conservation, why it matters, and encourage families to use less energy. Kids receive a special Energy Saver Certificate upon completing the Energy Saver Pledge.
Perfect For: Teachers, Families, After School Program & Green Teams
Audience: Kids
Giveaways: Activity Book, Stickers, Energy Saver Certificate & Energy Star Kit

LIGHT BULB EXCHANGES

The light bulb exchange event is a place where residents can explore the difference between incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescents, and LEDs— and swap their old bulbs for new, energy efficient ones to take home!
Perfect For: STEM Nights, Back-to-School Events, After School Programs, Green Teams, Congregations, and other locations.
Audience: Families
Giveaways: LED Bulbs

MAKE ENERGY CENT$

This presentation offers a “tour” of Montgomery County’s MontgomeryEnergyConnection.org website. This online resource combines trusted information with helpful solutions for managing utility costs, so residents can keep money in their pockets. Learn about energy-saving programs, explore energy-efficient technologies, and more!
Perfect For: PTAs, Senior Centers, Recreation Centers, Congregations, Libraries, and other locations.
Audience: Adults
Giveaways: Energy saving measures

TAILORED PROGRAMS

In addition to the programs listed above, we can tailor something specifically for you and have energy saving measures that we are happy to provide for your location just email us at energy@montgomerycountymd.gov to get more information.

COMMERCIAL ENERGY PROGRAMS

Building Energy Performance Standards

Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) are policies that establish performance levels for buildings and drive all buildings that BEPS covers to achieve these levels in the long-term with required progress at regular intervals in the interim. A BEPS sets a minimum threshold for energy performance for existing buildings, which are based on and measured against a building’s demonstrated energy performance, as shown in their benchmarking data. See IMT’s primer on BEPS.

Download the BEPS one-pager (PDF 1.4MB) or BEPS Frequently Asked Questions (PDF 376KB) for an overview.

Building Energy Benchmarking

Energy Benchmarking is the process of tracking a building's annual energy use and using a standard metric to compare the building's performance against past performance and to its peers nationwide. Benchmarking improves our understanding of energy consumption patterns; helps identify energy saving opportunities within a portfolio of buildings; and manages business bottom line through consistent data collection and tracking. Please review the Benchmarking Overview and Benchmarking How-To Checklist to get started.

Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) Financing

The County’s C-PACE program is an innovating financing program that allows commercial building owners to make energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades to their buildings and pay for those upgrades over time via their property tax bill. PACE stands for Property-Assessed Clean Energy Financing. Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) is an innovative way to finance commercial building upgrades. Qualified properties can use C-PACE to receive lower-cost, long-term flexible financing for up to 100 percent of eligible property improvements to be repaid as a surcharge on the property tax for up to 20 years.\

Montgomery County Green Bank

The Montgomery County Green Bank is a publicly chartered 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation dedicated to accelerating energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean energy investment in Montgomery County, MD. We partner with the private sector to provide more affordable and flexible financing options for County residents and businesses for clean energy and climate-resilient projects. These projects save energy, lower greenhouse gas emissions, create healthy living and working environments, foster a more resilient economy and environment, and help the County achieve its environmental goals.

 

If you are interested in any of the programs above, contact us at energy@montgomerycountymd.gov