Make 💲💲💲 by recycling your old refrigerator or freezer.

Power line header

This monthly newsletter is a way to distribute and transmit all things energy-related to our community.

Montgomery Energy Connection is a network of County Government and community partners. Created to provide customized education on the benefits of energy efficiency, availability of programs, and opportunities for assistance.

Wednesday, March 16, 2022 | Montgomery Energy Connection


Appliance recycling

Time to Recycle those Old Appliances

RESIDENTIAL: The Appliance Recycling program aims to save customers energy and money by offering a convenient, environmentally friendly option for getting rid of old appliances.

BGE is offering a $75 reward* for recycling an old, working refrigerator or freezer. Get an additional $25 reward if you also recycle an old, working room air conditioner or dehumidifier at the same time as your refrigerator or freezer. You must schedule your appointment between March 1, 2022 and March 31, 2022, and your unit must be picked up no later than April 14, 2022 to qualify for the limited time offer. Visit https://www.arcaincutility.com/MD/BGE/or call 866-898-1901

Pepco is offering customers $75 for a limited time for recycling their old working refrigerators and freezers. Customers must schedule their pick-up between March 1 and March 31 and have their appliance picked up by April 14 to qualify. Interested customers can schedule their pick-up or find out more by visiting www.pepco.com/ApplianceRecycling or calling 877-743-3117.

Potomac Edison is offering $100 when a customer recycles a refrigerator or freezer, and $35 when a customer recycles a dehumidifier, room air conditioner, or mini-fridge alongside a qualifying refrigerator or freezer. This offer will run from March-May 2022. Customers can go to www.energysavemd.com/fridge to learn more or sign up!


goelect4e

Go Electric Event this Saturday!

RESIDENTIAL: Curious about electric leaf blowers and mowers? Interested in an electric car or solar panels for your property? The Go Electric Event will provide you with the following opportunities:

  • Bring your old lightbulbs and get up to 3 free LEDs
  • Recycle gas yard equipment and small appliances for free
  • Learn about special March discounts and rebates on electric leaf blowers at ACE stores in Montgomery County
  • Check out a Ride On electric bus–bring the kids!
  • Enjoy sustainable and plant-based food!
  • Tour electric cars in person and learn about car charging systems
  • Learn about solar charging for your building and installation incentives
  • Switch from fossil fuels to sustainable electric sources and save $$
  • Check out County green energy initiatives

Share Power with your Community

community solar

RESIDENTIAL: Energy is expensive. And in the past few months, it's gotten very expensive. For some households in Montgomery County, this is merely inconvenient; however, for many, high energy costs represent a significant daily challenge. Groundswell's new community solar project at the Paddington Square Apartments in Silver Spring allows you to make a difference for household energy burdens in Montgomery County in a way that was never possible. Community Solar at Paddington Square is the first community solar project in Montgomery County that lets subscribers give back to our Montgomery County community by sharing power with your neighbors. There are limited subscription spots so hurry up and learn more.


Online Programs Help Residents Lower Energy Costs

senior planet

RESIDENTIAL: For the last three years, Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection has pledged to “Age with Attitude” with its partnership with Senior Planet Montgomery. Through online programming – webinars and workshops – we have been able to provide over 80 virtual programs, reaching more than 1,280 participants. We have also provided presentations in multiple languages: English, Spanish, and Mandarin. Learn more and sign up for an upcoming presentation here. 


💧 NEW Statewide Water Assistance Program

LIHWAP

RESIDENTIAL: The Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) is available statewide and provides Maryland households with financial relief toward water and/or wastewater bills. Eligible households may receive up to $2,000. LIHWAP funding is limited, and applications will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. You can apply for LIHWAP assistance online using the consumer portal here. 


Switching to Air Source Heat Pumps

Heat Pump

RESIDENTIAL: Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships created guides to provide practical, best practice guidance related to sizing and selecting Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHPs) in cold climates and installing ASHPs in cold climates. These two guides A Guide to Sizing & Selecting ASHPs in Cold Climates and A Guide to Installing ASHPs in Cold Climates, are now available for educational and reference purposes. 


Energy Summit is Coming!

polestar

COMMERCIAL: This year the Montgomery County Energy Summit will be a hybrid in-person and digital event on April 5 and 6, 2022. This year’s Summit will focus on Innovation in three topic areas: Technology Implementation, Policy & Program Design, and Creativity in Financing Projects. Those attending in person will have access to our exhibitor area, featuring leading energy related products and services, and will be able to participate in our first ever Electric Vehicle Ride & Drive Event, hosted by DARCARS Automotive Group and featuring the newly released Polestar and other vehicle models. Register today.


Job Board

Career Opportunities

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

  • 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

The News Roundup

Energy is all around us and there is a lot happening in the world. We have compiled some interesting stories and articles to share with you. These stories will LINK you to what energy stories are happening in the world.

Earthships: Off-the-grid homes made of recycled garbage, ‘earthships’ could become million-dollar climate-change havens, www.cnbc.com

Electric Cars: Ford will reorganize operations to separate its electric and internal combustion engine businesses into different units within the automaker, www.cnbc.com

Electric Grid: Staci Hartwell, chair of the Environmental and Climate Justice Committee of the NAACP Maryland State Conference writes an Op-Ed responding to Jason M. Stanek’s, chair of the Maryland Public Service Commission previous Op-Ed, www.marylandmatters.org 

EV Infrastructure: The U.S. Departments of Transportation and Energy announced nearly $5 billion that will be made available under the new National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program established by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to build out a national electric vehicle charging network, an important step towards making electric vehicle (EV) charging accessible to all Americans, www.energy.gov

Headlights: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a rule about “adaptive driving beam headlights” that can automatically tailor beams so they focus on dark areas of the road and don't create glare for oncoming drivers, www.cheddar.com

Hydrogen: Four Rocky Mountain states will cooperate on developing ways to make the most abundant element in the universe, hydrogen, more available and useful as clean-burning fuel for cars, trucks and trains, www.apnews.com

Manufacturing Planet: An electric pickup truck factory and battery manufacturing plant in Tennessee is charged with creating 5,000 full time jobs, www.apnews.com

Photovoltaic modules: A new ASTM International standard will aid in the recycling or safe disposal of these modules which are found in solar panels and other devices that convert sunlight into electrical energy, www.newsroom.astm.org

Solar panels: Solar panels built from waste crops that don’t require direct sunlight have been invented in another leap forwards for clean energy, www.euronews.com

Streetlights: To the crew of the International Space Station, Washington DC and Baltimore look like different galaxies and it is all because of their streetlights, www.ggwash.org

The Cloud: Google Cloud is adding features to help its customers understand (and shrink) their carbon footprint—in the data center and beyond, www.fastcompany.com

Water Cycle: Climate change has intensified the water cycle – the movement of water on Earth – by about twice as much as models had predicted, research shows, www.theguardian.com


upcoming events

Watts Up?

VIRTUAL

Friday, March 18, 2022, 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Stop Losing Money on Your Utility Bill

Thursday, March 24, 2022, 6:30 - 8:30 pm 
Gaithersburg Homeowners and Civic Associations Sustainability Summit

Wednesday, April 6, 2022, 7:30 – 8:30 pm
Ask an EV Owner

Friday, April 15, 2022, 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Lighting & Smart Bulbs

Friday, April 22, 2022, 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Stop Losing Money on Your Utility Bill

Friday, April 29, 2022, 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Programmable and Smart Thermostats

HYBRID

Tuesday, March 22 – Saturday, March 26, 2022
Naturally Latinos Conference

Tuesday, April 5 - Wednesday, April 6, 2022
Montgomery County Energy Summit

IN PERSON

Saturday, March 19, 2022, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Go Electric Event (with lightbulb exchange)

Saturday, April 23, 2022, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Greenfest

Saturday, April 23, 2022, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Gaithersburg Fix It Fair (with lightbulb exchange)