RESIDENTIAL: Electrify MC provides residents with a one-stop shop option to help electrify your home. Elysian Energy has a Help Desk, call or e-mail with your electrification questions. Read more about the process or read below for the typical path. 

The Electrify MC Process:

1. Contact the Electrification Help Desk
2. Schedule an energy audit
3. Audit and electrification assessment are completed
4. Choose among options to improve the performance of your home, including insulation and air sealing, and electrification of HVAC, water heater, stove and dryer
5. Have work completed through Elysian Energy
6. Receive applicable electrification rebates from the County at the point of sale, and utility rebates for insulation work in 6-8 weeks

Want to receive more information? SIGN THE PLEDGE and Elysian Energy will reach out to you directly.

RESIDENTIAL: The Biden Administration implemented a ban on incandescent light bulbs on August 1, 2023 in favor of energy-efficient bulbs. Retailers will be prohibited from selling any bulbs—including incandescent bulbs—that do not match the new standard, though households using any existing bulb that does not meet the standard will not be required to stop using them. Interested in swapping to LEDs?

Keep an 👀 out for our Light Bulb Exchanges on the My Green Montgomery calendar and don't forget that CFLs need to be Recycled Right. 

RESIDENTIAL: Without electricity, it is almost impossible to run our households. Yet most of us probably do not think much about how it reaches our appliances, fixtures, and devices. Here is the basic rundown: Electric power flows from the grid to our homes. From there, the electrical panel takes over. The electrical panel can also be an unexpected hurdle to ditching fossil fuels, Canary Media’s newest column, Electrified Life help demystify the process of electrification including the need to upgrade your panel.

RESIDENTIAL: Project Porchlight is an opportunity for community groups and civic/homeowners associations to help neighbors switch to LED bulbs. Since lighting accounts for around 12% of an average home’s electricity use, residents can save about $225 in energy costs per year by switching to LEDs. Because the porch is often the entryway into the home, we decided to use this as the first point of contact to reach residents to talk about using less energy.

We are always looking for more neighborhoods to visit so please email energy@montgomerycountymd.gov if you are interested in bringing this to your community. 

RESIDENTIAL: Volunteers are needed at Montgomery County's Annual "Active Aging Week Kick-Off Event", where residents 50 years old or better can enjoy a day at Brookside Gardens doing all sorts of fun activities! The actual event has 2 sessions, one from 9am to Noon and the other 2pm to 5pm, but volunteers will help with set-up and take-down of the event before and afterwards, so shifts will be a bit longer. We are seeking volunteers to help with the morning or afternoon shifts. More details will be shared after you apply! Questions? Contact Jennene Blakely at jennene.blakely@montgomeryparks.org.

NATIONAL: Eco.Logic, an education, arts, and community building non-profit that inspires people to take tangible action to address climate change is hosting their second Eco.Art Extravaganza, and are looking for artists to submit their artwork.  All artwork will be placed into an online gallery, which will double as a silent auction. The event will culminate with an in-person event to celebrate the environment, art, artists, and environmental art! 

Eco.Art can be defined in one of two ways: 

1. Art made using recycled or refurbished materials
2. Art that conveys an environmental message.

Here’s how it works:

• Artists submit artwork here by August 25, 2023
• An online gallery will be open from September 1 - September 30, 2023. All artwork will be available for sale. On our submission form, we ask artists to indicate their price for artwork and we will start sales at 25% higher. If your artwork sells, you will receive your asking price for the artwork.
• In late September, we are hosting an in-person Eco.Art Extravaganza taking place in Chicago, IL. We invite all artists, particularly those in/near Chicago to join us! (Details are coming soon). Take a look at last year’s gallery: https://app.galabid.com/ecoart

FEATURED BLOG: Where does our waste go? Take a tour to the County’s waste-to-energy facility: Blog post by Ilana Williams, Montgomery County 2023 Summer Climate Intern who visited the County’s only waste-to-energy plant filled with municipal solid waste (MSW) that is processed into renewable energy.