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Maryland Energy Administration Announces the 2019 Commercial and Industrial Energy Efficiency Grant Awards

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

Baltimore, MD – The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) announced awards for the 2019 Commercial and Industrial (C&I) grant program. A total of 13 organizations will receive $1,245,820 in funds to implement significant energy efficiency upgrades. The estimated annual energy cost savings is $829,093 and the projected annual energy savings are 7,313,512 kilowatt-hours; which is equivalent to powering over 700 homes for a full year.

“These important grants support Maryland businesses and nonprofits while continuing our commitment to clean energy,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “Our administration is proud to collaborate with innovative organizations to deliver both energy and cost savings to our citizens.”

“Energy efficiency is a smart investment that transforms your building into an ATM,” said Maryland Energy Administration Director, Mary Beth Tung.

Now in its sixth year, the C&I grant was created to encourage Maryland businesses and nonprofit organizations in the commercial and industrial sectors to implement energy efficiency projects in their facilities that reduce baseline electricity consumption by at least 15%.

The 2019 Program reverted to a competitive grant structure due to incredibly high demand under the Fiscal Year (FY)17 C&I Program, which operated on a rolling, first come, first served basis. The requested funding amounts for quality projects exceeded the budget, which confirmed the need for a competitive program structure to assure MEA funds only the strongest projects.

The 2019 Grantees comprise a diverse portfolio of business and nonprofit types whose projects will upgrade many different types of facilities. Some notable recipients include the following:

  • Maryland University of Integrated Health in Laurel will use their $58,488 grant to upgrade their 2002, original HVAC. The campus will also replace 442 lighting fixtures with more efficient LEDs. These improvements will yield an annual electricity reduction of over 917,758 kWh, which translates to more than $96,582 in annual cost savings or a 69% energy reduction.
  • Wayside Body Shop, located in Denton, handles a variety of vehicle repairs on residential, commercial, and emergency vehicles. The shop will use their $17,296 grant to upgrade lighting and HVAC controls. A total of 290 T-12 fixtures will be replaced with more efficient LED equivalents. These improvements will equal an annual electricity reduction of more than 73,836 kWh, yielding more than $11,168 in annual cost savings or a 46% energy reduction.
  • GFE Distribution, LLC owns The Capital Meat, Co., located in Landover. They will use their $47,397 grant to upgrade old HVAC equipment with more efficient systems and refrigeration sensors and controls. These improvements will result in a reduction of annual electricity reduction over 217,242 kWh, providing $14,913 in annual cost savings and a 47% energy reduction.

Applications were reviewed based on amount of electricity savings, project cost-effectiveness, number and types of energy conservation measures implemented, leveraged funding sources, and project feasibility. Applicants pursuing projects with numerous and diverse energy conservation measures, leveraged funding sources, and the inclusion of innovative technologies could earn bonus points in the review.

Award totals ranged this year from $17,000 to $200,000, a full list of all awardees can be found here: MEA CandI 2019 Award Listing FINAL Examples of some of the energy upgrades were lighting; temperature controls; variable frequency motors and drives; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning; refrigeration; chillers; and transformers. 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 here.

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Maryland Energy Administration
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.