RESIDENTIAL: World Toilet Day is an official United Nations international observance day on Friday, November 19^th to inspire action to tackle the global sanitation crisis. Did you know that 27% of all household water consumption is attributed to the toilet? That’s a lot of water and money to just be flushing away. The good news is – there’s a way to limit the amount of water used with every flush and that’s by installing a Toilet Tank Bank! The Toilet Tank Bank is a cost-effective tool that reduces the amount of water by 0.8 gallons per flush and can increase savings over time. Would you like one of your own, if so, email energy@montgomerycountymd.gov and put Toilet Tank Bank in the subject line.

RESIDENTIAL: Community, or shared, solar makes it possible for anyone with an electric bill to access solar energy, even if they can’t put it where they live. Montgomery County Green Bank has its first project at Paddington Square – this array is Montgomery County’s first community solar project built to serve income qualifying households, and its subscribers will play a critical role in shaping the future of energy in Maryland.

The Oaks Landfill Community Solar Project is a groundbreaking project for Montgomery County and Maryland as a whole. This is the largest community solar farm in the country to reserve 100% of its power for income qualifying residents who receive their electricity via Pepco. This ensures residents who qualify to receive 25% savings on their electricity costs every month.

RESIDENTIAL: Montgomery Energy Connection is excited to launch our Youth Energy Stars Program! We’ve created this kid-friendly program featuring the furry and friendly Energy Stars who teach kids how they can become an Energy Star just like them. These colorful, celebrated Energy Stars investigate energy conservation, why it matters, and encourage families to use less energy. Check out their fun videos with easy energy saving tips and their catchy sing-along video! 

RESIDENTIAL: Need help determining the heat pump system that might be best for your home? This Heat Pump Planner tool provides more information about heat pump technology, the types available, installation and operation costs, and questions to ask an installer. This resource was developed in partnership with Steven Winter Associates, Inc. in support of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s Heat Pump Program.

RESIDENTIAL: You may be planning on making BIG meals this time of year. If you are planning a meal for fewer than 4 people - you may want to use your toaster oven instead of your oven because it uses less energy. Less energy means more money in your pocket for gifts! Watch the newest Home Energy Hack today for energy saving tips.  

COMMERCIAL: The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection and the Montgomery County Committee of USGBC National Capital Region are inviting proposals for educational presentations at the 2022 Montgomery County Energy Summit. Proposals are due Wednesday, December 1 by 5 p.m. The summit will take place Tuesday, April 5, and Wednesday, April 6. 

The 2022 Energy Summit will focus on Innovation in three education tracks of the Summit: Technology, Policy and Practices and Finance. Apply here by December 1st!

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 interesting and informative.

Build Back Better: Solar tax credits and heat pump rebates: All the ways Build Back Better would incentivize cleaner energy at home, www.marketwatch.com

Carbon Offsets: Carbon offsets are increasingly a key part of corporate and national climate plans. They’re also being viewed with more and more skepticism. Here’s what you need to know, www.fastcompany.com

Climate Change: Tackling climate change will require world leaders to act on a global level. But as individuals we also contribute to damaging emissions. Here are four things you can do to reduce your personal impact, www.bbc.com

Energy Efficiency: Did you see the article in Washington Post? Writer Lindsey M. Roberts provides tips to save on home energy — and many of them don’t involve replacing every appliance, www.washingtonpost.com

Eco-Friendly Van: Mercedes-Benz is one of the biggest forces behind the green revolution in the automotive industry and has pledged to go all-electric by 2030, which means its range of internal combustion engines is living on borrowed time, www.carbuzz.com

Floating Windfarms: Once developed, a single platform design can be installed along hundreds of miles of coast with very little modification, making mass production possible and cost reduction likely, www.theatlantic.com

Food and Climate: Cutting out meat is the most cited way to make your diet more carbon friendly. You could also try nixing candy, alcohol, and ready-made food, www.fastcompany.com

Jeans: Did you know that you can recycle your old jeans through American Eagle and they'll give you money for them? AE partnered with Cotton's Blue Jeans Go Green. This partnership will see your old jeans (any brand!) recycled and used as insulation, www.zappos.com

Ocean Energy: In Scotland, they want to plug this ocean energy into shoreside electrolyzers, which separate water (good old H20) into oxygen and green hydrogen, and use the gas bubbles to power … whisky distilleries, www.washingtonpost.com

Space Solar Panels: “Theoretically, if a bunch of solar panels were blasted into orbit…that would significantly reduce our carbon footprint, www.cnet.com

Gift Outside the Box 
Dec 8, 2021 from 6:30 - 8:00 pm 
Join OMG , DEP and other local partners as we prepare this season to Gift Outside the Box. This will be a fun evening of entertainment, ideas for Greener Gifting, fun interactive games and opportunities to support some local nonprofits. Register here.