Kathleen A. P. Mathias Agriculture Energy Efficiency Program Celebrates Five Years

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jahmai Sharp-Moore | 443-694-3651

Baltimore, MD –Governor Larry Hogan today announced awards for the FY2017 Kathleen A. P. Mathias Agriculture Energy Efficiency Program. This year, a total of 13 awards were distributed totaling $398,030 dollars. Named after the late Kathy Mathias, one of the Eastern Shore’s leading advocates and the wife of Maryland State Senator James N. Mathias, the program began in 2012.

“Agriculture is Maryland’s largest industry and the Mathias program, along with our Animal Waste to Energy program ($2M in funding for FY17), is designed to spur energy innovation in this specific segment of the State’s economy,” said Mary Beth Tung, Director of the Maryland Energy Administration.

Hillcrest Nursery, a wholesale greenhouse business that farms a variety of plants including certified organic cell pack herbs, decorative plants and vegetables located in Baltimore County, received $37,904 in energy efficiency grants. The nursery plans to install high efficiency boilers, saving an estimated 26% with the payback of 15 years.

Rich Levels Poultry in Kent County will use their $59,888 energy efficiency grant to increase insulation that will reduce heat loss in the winter and ensure a cooler environment for livestock in the summer. The farm will also install radiant tube heaters and upgrade their poultry house doors. The combined energy efficiency measures are estimated to save 19% energy and payback in 15 years.

This program has allowed farms of every kind in the State to capitalize on energy efficiency and renewable measures that deliver significant savings and yield immediate and positive results for their business. Over the past five years, this grant program has supported 54 farms and Agricultural businesses around the State. In 2015, ten Maryland farms participated in the program and were able to install solar power that reduced their carbon footprint and saved an average of $74,000 per year. The cost savings, driven by increased energy efficiencies were: 34% solar power grid avoidance, 14% reduction in electricity consumption via energy efficiency technologies and 52% reduction in propane use.

“My children, Lauren and Trevor, and I are both humbled and honored that Kathy’s life continues to be memorialized through this program,” said Maryland State Senator James N. Mathias, Jr. (D – Lower Eastern Shore) and Kathy’s husband. “Kathy was fully dedicated to the people and lifestyle of the Eastern Shore and very fond of our rural and farming communities. Even through her most difficult challenges, Kathy continued to renew her boundless energy and positive attitude which exemplifies this program. The MEA has continued to help farmers use best practices to promote energy efficiency while saving money,” concluded Mathias.

This program provides grants on a competitive basis to farms/businesses in the agriculture sector to cover up to 50% of the cost of eligible energy efficiency upgrades and up to 25% of the cost of eligible renewable energy upgrades. Click link to the right MEA Mathias 2017 Award Listing for a listing of all the FY17 awardees. Funding for the program comes from the Strategic Energy Investment Fund, which was created from public auctions of carbon credits through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. For more information on the program please visit: http://energy.maryland.gov/business/Pages/incentives/mathiasag.aspx

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Maryland Energy Administration On behalf of Governor Hogan the mission of the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) is to promote affordable, reliable and cleaner energy for the benefit of all Marylanders.  To achieve its mission, MEA advises the Governor and General Assembly on matters relating to energy policy.  MEA administers grant and loan programs to encourage clean energy technologies in all sectors of Maryland’s economy: Residential, Commercial, Agricultural, and Transportation. For more information about the Maryland Energy Administration, visit www.energy.maryland.gov and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.