|
Wednesday, February 7, 2024 | Department of Environmental Protection
The calendar year 2023 benchmarking season as begun. Energy benchmarking reports are due to DEP by Monday, June 3, 2024. This year, energy benchmarking is required of all commercial and multifamily buildings 25,000 gross square feet and larger. DEP is beginning outreach to covered buildings and the buildings inventory provides a list of all covered buildings.
DEP is hosting two webinars to prepare you for benchmarking this year:
-
February 28, noon - 1:30 pm: This presentation is geared to new benchmarkers or those less familiar with ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager and the benchmarking requirements.
-
March 13, noon - 1:30 pm: This presentation is geared to benchmarking service providers and data verifiers and will provide more in-depth information about ensuring data quality, accessing aggregated utility data, and fielding questions.
Read on for two important updates for benchmarking and reporting this year:
DEP has created a new Montgomery County Energy Benchmarking Reporting Portal to provide benchmarking resources and status updates in one place. Within the Portal, users can:
- Claim building(s)
- Submit an extension, waiver, or exemption request
- Submit annual benchmarking report(s)
- Re-report data for previous calendar years or submit revisions to benchmarking data
- View compliance status and disclosed data for each building
As such, the process for submitting your calendar year 2023 benchmarking report to DEP has changed. Reporters must follow the updated instructions to submit data.
To report your benchmarking data to DEP once you have entered all required information into ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, reporters must connect with MontgomergyDEP and share your building(s) via ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. Reports can then be submitted via the new Montgomery County Building Energy Benchmarking Reporting Portal.
If you previously enrolled in whole-building electricity data aggregation through Pepco’s Resource Advisor website, you must re-enroll in Pepco’s new Energy Usage Data System (EUDS) to set up electricity data aggregation and re-sync this feed to Portfolio Manager to continue to access whole-building electricity data. Please start early, Pepco is estimating at least 3-4 weeks processing time.
As always, the DEP team is available for support. Please visit the benchmarking website for additional resources or contact Energy@MontgomeryCountyMD.gov with questions or for assistance.
Following a 30-day public comment period in November, the County Executive has issued proposed regulations related to Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) implementation.
These regulations will now be considered by County Council, with the Transportation & Environment (T&E) Committee beginning to hold work sessions. The T&E Committee held the first discussion with hospital representatives on January 24 (view recording on YouTube). At upcoming work sessions (currently scheduled for February and March), the Committee will hear from building owners and representatives from different sectors regarding their thoughts and concerns regarding the regulation
The proposed regulations can be viewed on the BEPS website.
|
DEP will hold the 11th annual Montgomery County Energy Summit on Monday, April 15, and Tuesday, April 16, at the Silver Spring Civic Building. The summit is an opportunity for the commercial building community to prepare for compliance with energy benchmarking, building energy performance standards and emerging building codes and provide hands-on learning opportunities and case studies from commercial and multifamily buildings.
The summit will include "Innovation Alley" dedicated to showcasing cutting-edge products and services aimed at helping building owners improve energy performance, expand renewable energy use or reduce impact on the environment. We invite vendors to participate in this initiative, providing a unique opportunity to connect with industry leaders, potential clients and collaborators. DEP is actively recruiting vendors for the Innovation Alley. Companies that offer innovative solutions in energy efficiency, sustainable technologies or related services are encouraged to be part of this dynamic showcase. Interested vendors can apply here by Feb. 16 to be considered.
Stay tuned for full session descriptions and registration later this month.
|
Damascus Gardens Apartments, a small community of 104 affordable apartment homes spread across 8 buildings has completed a series of energy efficiency improvements and upgrades aimed at reducing energy consumption, lowering utility bills, and enhancing the overall quality of life for residents.
Working with Green TurnKey (GTK) and EH Commercial, the community first conducted comprehensive energy audits. To optimize heating and cooling efficiency, the property owner leveraged the Multifamily Energy Efficiency and Housing Affordability Program (MEEHA) program grant to invest in the replacement of older HVAC systems with energy-efficient heat pumps as well as air-sealing in residential spaces and improved insulation throughout the building common areas. State funding received by the property also allowed for the replacement of refrigerators with higher efficiency units as needed.
To go a step further and create a more inclusive work environment, the project management team initiated a recruitment campaign among residents to hire and train in the electrical trades. Worksource Montgomery was engaged to provide a Mobile Job Center to attract and place job seekers from the community. Their screening led to 2 part-time hires.
Read more on My Green Montgomery.
|
The Maryland Energy Administration announced that the program budget for the FY24 Solar Energy Equity Grant Program has been increased to $6 million.
The Solar Energy Equity Program is available to Maryland nonprofit organizations and local governments, which in turn use the funds to install solar energy generating systems on the homes of Marylanders facing disproportionate challenges. The program makes available up to $25,000 per eligible home, with allowances for structural repairs and mold remediation needed for the safe and successful installation of a solar system.
Applications will be competitively evaluated and are due to MEA no later than 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, February 22, 2024. For more information, including terms, conditions, restrictions, and on how to submit a strong proposal, visit the program webpage. Questions can be directed to SolarEquity.MEA@Maryland.gov.
|
Citizen Energy is searching for partners to collaborate with on deploying $0 cost EV chargers at multifamily housing communities in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. through their Avanza EV initiative.
Avanza EV is a comprehensive EV adoption initiative that includes charging infrastructure, installation, software, ongoing maintenance, and community education. The initiative is supported by federal, state, local and foundation funding. If you are connected to multifamily housing properties, there are multiple ways to collaborate including site host referrals, project development, installation, etc. Their funding is targeted to underserved communities. However, some of the eligibility criteria can open it up to different types of sites. Please reach out to the program manager, Noah Frieder, at (202) 695-3201 or mnoah@citizen-energy.com to discuss details.
|
DEP would like to welcome Norelle Thomas (back) to DEP as the new Energy & Climate Programs Office Services Coordinator! Norelle is a veteran of the US Air Force, has experience in commercial and residential property management, and also has prior experience working with DEP's Watershed Restoration Division under the SWIM (BMP) team. Learn more about Norelle and join us in welcoming her to the team!
|
Local News
Maryland insulators union receives training grant from Dept. of Energy (WUSA9)
Climate plan’s out. Now comes the hard part: Paying for it. (Maryland Matters)
Montgomery County Green Bank 2023 Annual Report (Green Bank)
Other News
Business action on energy efficiency could save $2 trillion a year, new research claims (GreenBiz)
Energy Poverty is a Rising Issue. The IRA Can Help (Environment + Energy Leader)
Growth in low-emissions power expected to cover demand (Reuters)
|
Feb 8, 5:30 - 8:30 pm | IMT Building Innovation Hub
Seeing Green: Financing Better Buildings
Feb 15, noon - 1 pm| MD Office of People's Council
IRA Tax Credits (for homeowners)
Feb 26, 9 am - 4 pm | Sustainable Maryland
Accessing Funding for Climate and Energy-related Projects
Feb 27, 6 pm - 7 pm| MD Office of People's Council
IRA Tax Credits (for homeowners)
Feb 28, noon - 1:30 pm | Montgomery County DEP
Montgomery County Energy Benchmarking
Feb 29 | Companies for Net Zero
Decarb DC 2024
Mar 13, noon - 1:30 pm | Montgomery County DEP
Montgomery County Energy Benchmarking for Service Providers and Data Verifiers
Apr 2 - 4 | Department of Energy
Better Buildings, Better Plants Summit 2024
Apr 15 - 16 | Montgomery County DEP
Montgomery County Energy Summit
|
