Tag Archive: commercial
Solar for a Vintage, Multifamily High-Rise: A Tower Companies Case Study
Commercial building owners of older properties may feel challenged when it comes to making energy efficiency improvements and adding renewable energy to their buildings. When most of us picture green
Focus on the Here and Now: 2019 Energy Summit soars to new heights and record attendance
The sixth annual Montgomery County Energy Summit—the largest in the event’s history—was held on Wednesday, April 3, 2019, at the Silver Spring Civic Building. The event attracted approximately 315 attendees
A look inside Montgomery College’s Biosciences Education Center
On November 1, 2018, the Montgomery County Committee of USGBC-National Capital Region organized a presentation and tour of Montgomery College’s Biosciences Education Center—an innovative and eye-catching facility that supports STEM
This holiday season, gift outside the box!
The act of giving is one of the best traditions of the holiday season. It builds bonds and shows your loved ones how you care for them. Unfortunately, the way
Partners in Energy: Jordan Leonard
One person can make a difference and this series profiles a leader, advocate, or resident who is dedicated to improving energy efficiency and helping the county realize its goal to
Leading the Way: County activates two advanced microgrids
On October 24, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett announced the official activation of two advanced microgrids for its Public Safety Headquarters (PSHQ) in Gaithersburg and Correctional Facility in Boyds. The
Explore DEP’s new interactive energy benchmarking map
Certain non-residential commercial buildings that are 50,000 square feet and greater are subject to Montgomery County’s Building Energy Benchmarking Law. Each calendar year (CY), building owners need to benchmark the
TBC Hotels take care of business to lower energy usage
A focus on upgrades and infrastructure enhancements helped one hotel morph from a high-energy consumer to an efficient energy user in no time flat. In November 2016, The Bernstein Companies
Registration is now open for GreenFest exhibitors and vendors
The 4th Annual Greenfest, Montgomery County’s largest environmental festival, will take place on Saturday, May 5 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Jesup Blair Local Park in Silver Spring.
Registration open for the Fifth Annual Montgomery County Energy Summit
The Fifth Annual Montgomery County Energy Summit is set for Wednesday, April 4, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Silver Spring Civic Building located at One Veterans Plaza. Co-hosted by
Benchmarking and energy auditing tools to help cut energy costs
Montgomery County’s Benchmarking Law requires certain buildings to track their energy use, have the data verified, and report it to the County’s Department of Environmental Protection. (Learn about the law).
Montgomery County releases first private building energy benchmarking metrics
The County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has released the first year of private non-residential energy data for buildings 250,000 square feet and greater (“Group 1” covered buildings). This is
Green Business Certification: In sync with company philosophies
A look at how two companies – Canon U.S. Life Sciences, Inc., a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions, and Raffa P.C., a 30-year-old accounting firm
Audit Success: One church’s assessment leads to cost and energy savings
Energy efficiency is as important to financial bottom lines as it is to helping the environment. Utility costs are the largest unfixed expense for most businesses, including nonprofit organizations. When
New Managing Director at Bethesda Green’s Incubator brings investor lens
On November 7th, Bethesda Green announced Tina Arreaza as Managing Director for the Be Green Hub. The Be Green Hub is Bethesda Green’s sustainability-focused incubator program. Bethesda Green’s mission is
Be Green Hub incubator program accepting applications
Are you or do you know an entrepreneur with a startup in the environment or food sectors? Help jumpstart your or their business by encouraging them to apply to Be Green Hub’s
Montgomery County hosts workforce development training for the National Green Infrastructure Certification Program
The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, WorkSource Montgomery and Montgomery College have partnered to sponsor a free training series to prepare workers in the growing green infrastructure industry. The
Montgomery County signs the Under2 Memorandum of Understanding to address climate change
This week, Montgomery County Government became the first county in the nation to join the Subnational Global Climate Leadership (“Under2”) Coalition. The coalition is an international pact of cities, states
Montgomery County adopts the International Green Construction Code
Montgomery County is taking a major step forward to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet climate protection goals with today’s unanimous Council approval of Executive Regulation 21-15 AMII, which adopts
Energy and net-zero projects at United Therapeutics in Silver Spring
In 1994, Dr. Martine Rothblatt’s young daughter was diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a rare and progressive lung disorder that affects 15 to 50 of every million people. Since
I’ve benchmarked my building… Now what?
As the summer rolls on, you may find yourself wondering what to do with the commercial building benchmarking data you reported to DEP earlier this month. If you’re not familiar
Montgomery County Green Bank names Tom Deyo as first CEO
The Board of Directors of the Montgomery County Green Bank (MCGB) is pleased to announce the appointment of Tom Deyo as the first Chief Executive Officer of the Montgomery County
Montgomery County declares “We Are Still In” on Paris Agreement
On June 5th, County Executive Ike Leggett joined more than 1,000 U.S. governors, county executives, mayors, businesses, investors, and colleges and universities in declaring their support for U.S. leadership in
County’s first C-PACE project celebrates with “green” ribbon-cutting ceremony
An innovative financing program opened the door for a Montgomery County business to make energy-efficient building improvements that will help increase its energy savings by about 30% per year. By
Recap of the 4th Annual Montgomery County Energy Summit
On Wednesday, April 5th, 240 attendees convened for the fourth annual Montgomery County Energy Summit. The Energy Summit is an annual, must-attend event for County building owners, property managers, energy
My Green Montgomery Episode 8
In this episode of My Green Montgomery, hosted by Susan Stark, we’re going to see how the Montgomery County green business certification program has expanded, find out where you can
Energy Summit 2017 registration now open
We’re back again with the 4th annual Montgomery County Energy Summit 2017 at the Silver Spring Civic Building! Mark your calendars for Wednesday, April 5th, 2017. Co-hosted by Montgomery County
Green Impact Campaign: A win-win for students and small business
The Green Impact Campaign truly lives up to its name. The DC-based nonprofit provides students with training and tools to conduct free energy efficiency assessments for local small businesses. The
Meet Upasana, a key partner in the County’s PACE program
Montgomery County passed Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Financing for commercial buildings in March 2015. The County has partnered with Urban Ingenuity to spearhead the CivicPACE offering for nonprofits, congregations,
Montgomery County announces first Commercial PACE project application and groundbreaking
Montgomery County is proud to announce the first accepted application into the County’s Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) financing program. The project at the Shady Grove Professional Building and
First release of County building energy benchmarking data
The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has released the first year of building energy data for County buildings larger than 50,000 square feet. This is the first release
Music Center at Strathmore is ready for its sustainability close-up
Every year, some of the top names in performing arts make their way to the Music Center at Strathmore. The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, late singing legend Natalie Cole, the
Garden-style condo communities have a lot of room for green
Big sustainability measures need not be the sole domain of high rise buildings. A garden-style condo community in Silver Spring is proof. Vicki Vergagni didn’t know much about trees when
In Maryland, switching to green power is like flipping a switch
The idea—use green energy—is simple. The process is a little more complex. But it’s not as hard as it might seem. There are plenty of resources—all of them free of
CivicPACE: Cutting Energy Costs for Community-Based Facilities
Montgomery County’s community-based institutions deliver critical mission-driven programs and services to local residents, from providing affordable housing for the homeless, educating our youth in public charter schools, or ministering to
Ride the wind: Takoma Park EV stations put clean energy into cars
Takoma Park is about to become a hotspot for electric vehicle drivers. Wind-Powered Cars Electric vehicles (EV) are on the rise. According to Plug In America, an industry coalition, higher
Silver Spring Civic Building brings community engagement to sustainability
A civic building is more than just a place to hold meetings. In Silver Spring, it means a chance to demonstrate values and sustainable living. Green Silver Spring The
Don’t delay: First building energy benchmarking deadline is June 1st!
Learn about benchmarking, who needs to comply with the law, and step-by-step instructions for how to benchmark and report your building to DEP. Montgomery County passed a benchmarking and transparency
Meet Jessica, Montgomery County’s PACE Administrator
Montgomery County passed Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Financing for commercial buildings in March 2015, and we’ve enlisted PACE Financial Servicing to administrate the County’s PACE program. Meet Jessica Bailey,
3rd Annual Montgomery County Energy Summit
Join USGBC National Capital Region’s Montgomery County Branch and the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection for a full day of interactive discussions and workshops during the 3rd Annual Energy Summit
Benchmarked: A Case Study from MATAN Companies
Benchmarked, an energy blog series, examines local businesses who have used EPA’s Portfolio Manager to track energy use. Company: MATAN Companies Benchmarked Property Name: Milestone Business Park, 12420
Montgomery County joins the Standard Energy Efficiency Data Platform
Montgomery County announced its partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as a Standard Energy Efficiency Data (SEED) Platform ™ partner. This partnership will assist the Department of Energy
Benchmarked: A Case Study from Brookfield Office Properties
Benchmarked, an energy blog series, examines local businesses who have used EPA’s Portfolio Manager to track energy use.
Benchmarked: A Case Study from American Real Estate Property
Benchmarked, an energy blog series, examines local businesses who have used EPA’s Portfolio Manager to track energy use.
MRP Realty leads a big turnaround in Bethesda
MRP Realty faced a set of challenges in downtown Bethesda. Two years later, their building complex is ahead of the curve.
Benchmarked: A case study from The Chevy Chase Land Company
Benchmarked, an energy blog series, examines local businesses who have used EPA’s Portfolio Manager to track energy use.
Small Business Kilowatt Smackdown!
Through November 18th, the City of Takoma Park is offering a student competition open to all local college and university students in and around Montgomery County. The students who complete
Learn the ropes: Report building benchmarking data early!
Montgomery County passed a benchmarking and transparency law (Bill 2-14), requiring the county and building owners to benchmark energy use in certain nonresidential buildings of 50,000 square feet or greater
