Montgomery Energy Connection network and website is NOW LIVE!!!

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Montgomery County Energy News

Covering energy information and events for residents and businesses in Montgomery County, MD

Brought to you by DEP Energy

Wednesday, October 16, 2019 | Department of Environmental Protection


Energy Connection

Montgomery Energy Connection

COUNTY: Montgomery County Government and community partners launched this network to provide customized education on the benefits of energy efficiency, availability of programs, and opportunities for assistance. Montgomery Energy Connection is a collection of trusted and unbiased information, a central hub for energy resources, and an outreach network that provides all residents with user-friendly, energy-saving resources that will improve their daily lives and preserve a healthy environment for future generations. Check out the new website and SAVE THE DATE for our official launch on Wednesday, October 30th at 5:00 pm at Rockville Memorial Library. 


Start Preparing Your Furnace for Winter

furnace

RESIDENTIAL: Fall is a great time to tune-up your natural gas furnace, so it can get you through the winter and keep your home warm and toasty. Guest writer, Fiona Ryan from Washington Gas, has five ways to help residents prepare their furnace for the fall. Find out what preventative measures will extend the lifespan of the furnace here.


Partnership in the Making

senior planet

RESIDENTIAL:  A new member of the Montgomery Energy Connection Network is Senior Planet Montgomery, they offer share information and resources that support aging with attitude, and helps people who were born long before the digital revolution to stay engaged and active by bringing a digital-technology focus to a range of topics – among them news, health, sex and dating, art and design, senior style, travel and entertainment. And soon we will be adding ENERGY! But in the meantime, you should check out one of their workshops like iPad Essentials or Computer Essentials. 


I've Benchmarked, Now What?

benchmark

COMMERCIAL: Join Montgomery County’s Department of Environmental Protection and the Montgomery County Green Bank on Wednesday, October 23rd from 8-11 am in Silver Spring, MD for a dynamic, hands-on workshop for building owners and property managers in Montgomery County, MD.  This free workshop includes opening remarks from Councilmember Hucker and Jonathan Bauer with The Tower Companies, educational panels about EmPOWER Maryland programs for rebates and incentives, specific projects and success stories, and how to finance projects with C-PACE and Green Bank products, exhibitor area to talk one-on-one with service providers and networking, light breakfast and coffee! Register today


My Green Montgomery Green Jobs Board

My Green Montgomery

The My Green Montgomery Green Jobs Board will help you find green jobs in our region.  We post jobs for free, if they:

  • are green jobs (focused on energy, sustainability, water, trees, community greening, environmental ed, etc.)
  • based in the DC or Baltimore regions. Jobs in Montgomery County or easy for our residents to commute to work!

We pre-approve each job before posting, but we do not guarantee the length of time jobs will be posted. To look for new job opportunities, click here.


Energy News Roundup

Newspapers

The Montgomery County Energy Team receives tons of newsletters and articles every day, and these are a few articles that we wanted to share this month. These articles range from county, state, national and international stories, we hope you find them as interesting as we did.  

Amazon: Amazon unveiled their “Climate Pledge,” to tackle climate change, committing the retail giant to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement 10 years ahead of schedulewww.cnbc.com  

Battery Storage: Panasonic releases new residential battery EverVolt and improved solar panels. The Panasonic-engineered storage system is compatible with any solar system or inverter and can be tailored to a homeowner’s individual needs, www.solarpowerworldonline.com  

Deliveries: United Parcel Service Inc (UPS) announced plans to buy more than 6,000 natural gas-powered trucks over three years and step up purchases of renewable natural gas (RNG) as part of a new $450 million investment to reduce the environmental impact of its 123,000-vehicle fleet, www.finance.yahoo.com  

Electric Vehicles: Switching to EVs en masse could help bring down planet-killing carbon emissions. But Americans also need to drive less, right now, www.yahoo.com 

Fuel Cell: The US Department of Energy and the US Army revealed a new collaborative effort to develop a purpose-built disaster relief vehicle with a fuel cell powertrain, www.cnet.com 

Gas Station: RS Automotive gas station in Takoma Park, Maryland, outside of Washington, D.C., switched out all its pumps for electric charging stations on Thursday September 26, www.yahoo.com  

Green Energy: If you do one thing, the New York Times suggests switching to a green energy supplier, www.nytimes.com  

Solar Panels: Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) plans to introduce legislation requiring all new single-family houses to include rooftop solar panels that convert sunlight into electricity, starting in 2022, www.washingtonpost.com 

Wind Turbines: One way to get more clean energy is by utilizing small wind turbines to power your home and save on electricity bills. You can get a mid-range home wind turbine for approximately $700, which will conveniently meet your needs. A bigger one, with a capacity of over 1500W and 2000W, will cost you around $1,500 and $2,000, respectively. www.interestingengineering.com 


Events: October & November 2019

roadshow

FEATURED EVENT: ENERGY ROADSHOW
5:30 - 7:30 pm 
Starting Wednesday, October 30th - DEP Energy will be at various library locations to answer all energy questions for residents. Come learn about installing solar, paying for energy projects, and more. For more information, visit the web page  

These events are either sponsored by DEP Energy Program or one of our partners, we encourage you attend one or all of them and please share with your networks as well.  

October 17 | Silver Spring 
Net Zero Schools Summit 

October 22 | Hyattsville 
MCEC Summit 

October 26 | Kensington  
Paper Shredding and Electronic Recycling 

October 30 | Washington DC 
LEED v4.1 BD+C/ID+C and LEED v4.1 O+M Workshops 

October 30 | Rockville 
Energy Roadshow 

November Washington DC 
Women in Green: Speaking Up  

November Silver Spring 
Energy Roadshow  

November 14 Germantown 
Energy Roadshow  

November 20-21 | Baltimore 
Solar Focus 2019 Conference  

November 21 Olney 
Energy Roadshow