Later today, County Council is set to confirm the appointment (Item 8, Consent Calendar, Page 3) of 15 voting members to the newly established Building Performance Improvement Board. The Board will advise DEP as building energy performance standard regulations are developed. 

Members represent a broad section of stakeholders including utilities, building owners, service providers, and advocates. DEP thanks Lawrence Carroll, Daniel Cleverdon, Mike Dieterich, Gregory Goldstein, Jill Goodrich, Luke Lanciano, Adam Landsman, Amanda MacVey, Josh McClelland, Edward Musz, Sheena Oliver, Andrew Rivas, Rhett Tatum, Kevin Walton, and Julie Wolfington for their willingness to serve. We received an overwhelming amount of interest in this Board and are grateful for the community’s volunteer interest to advise the County on BEPS. 

Details about board membership, terms, procedures, duties and responsibilities in the law, are available in the Montgomery County Code at “18A-42A. Building Performance Improvement Board.”

Newly covered buildings in Group 3 and Group 4 will need to begin benchmarking calendar year 2022 energy data and report to DEP by June 1, 2023. 

• Group 3 includes non-residential buildings 25,000 to 50,000 gross square feet and buildings previously exempted by the benchmarking law like warehouses and manufacturing facilities. 
• Group 4 consists of multifamily residential buildings 250,000 gross square feet and larger. 

Letters have been mailed to owners and resident agents of newly covered buildings to alert them to the benchmarking requirement and provide information about how to comply. Visit DEP's benchmarking website for an updated covered buildings inventory and resources to help you benchmark.

DEP and the Montgomery County Green Bank, in partnership with the Department of Housing and Community Affairs, will be hosting a webinar on ENERGY EFFICIENCY Requirements and Opportunities for Common Ownership Communities.

If you are an owner in a common ownership community, this webinar is for you! Register here for one of two info sessions on Thursday, Oct 13 at 6 pm or Sunday, October 16 at 2 pm.

Montgomery County has released its first Climate Action Plan Annual Report, a work plan detailing Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) accomplishments and Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) plans to combat climate change. The report highlights 75 accomplishments in the first year since the plan was released in June 2021.

Learn more about the Climate Action Plan and County’s climate initiatives. 

Charging at home is one of the biggest benefits of driving an electric vehicle, but installing charging in condominiums, townhomes, and other common ownership communities can be complicated. This month, Montgomery County's Office of Common Ownership Communities hosted a webinar to educate property managers and Home Owner Associations on the process and best practices for installing EV charging, featuring representatives from DEP, Dep. of Permitting Services, Pepco, Montgomery County Green Bank, and Clarksburg Condominium II. Watch the recording here to learn about installing chargers in your community.

Check out DEP’s Green Job Portal for open positions in climate and sustainability jobs! Opportunities include a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Administration & Compliance Coordinator at MCDOT (apply by 9/21), a Park Planner II at Montgomery County Department of Parks (apply by 9/21), a Senior Greenhouse/Nursery Technician at Montgomery County Department of Parks (apply by 9/23), and multiple roles at the DC Green Bank.

Local News

Another Jurisdiction Passes a Law Mandating Attainment of Building Energy Performance Standards (JD Supra)

Pepco gets approval for $92M efficiency, demand response program in District of Columbia
(Utility Dive)

Carbon intensity of U.S. power generation continues to fall but varies widely by state [MD in the top 5 states with largest reductions] (EIA)

Other News

Growing building sector carbon emissions threaten 2050 net-zero goal, report warns (Utility Dive)

How Local Governments & Communities Are Taking Action To Get Fossil Fuels Out Of Buildings (CleanTechnica)

The Growth of Green Financing in the Capital Stack (Multi-Housing News)

Inflation Reduction Act Coverage

179D Tax Deduction made Bigger and Better (Green Building Law Update)

IRA Incentives Hold Big Potential to Cut Building Emissions (Environment + Energy Leader)

Officials: Incentives in federal bill will jump-start home retrofits to address climate change (Maryland Matters)