Maryland Energy Administration Announces Awards for 2018 Clean Energy Communities Low-to-Moderate Income Grant Program

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

Baltimore, MD – The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) today announced awards for the 2018 Clean Energy Communities Low-to-Moderate Income (LMI) grant program. Using the Strategic Energy Investment Fund, this program provides grants to non-profits and local government agencies that serve low and moderate income Marylanders.

“This program improves the health and quality of living for Maryland citizens by providing energy efficiency upgrades to those most in need,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “Our administration is proud to support this innovative program and the positive impact it will have on Maryland’s families and communities.”

MEA 2018 LMI grant improves the health and comfort of approximately 6,600 Marylanders. This $5 million dollar grant enables local government and non-profits to contract with local businesses that complete approved energy efficiency upgrades for homes of low-to-moderate income families. The energy saved from this program is enough to power nearly 300 homes for a full year, and will save residents nearly $550,000 dollars annually in energy costs.

“Reducing utility bills for low income Maryland residents, while simultaneously supporting local businesses, and nonprofits is a perfect collaboration for the state,” said Mary Beth Tung, Director of the Maryland Energy Administration. “The long-term energy efficiency measures will improve the quality of life for our citizens,” said Director Tung.

Established in 2014, the LMI Program Statewide Competitive platform enables larger projects than would typically be possible using the County allocations. This platform encourages innovative ideas directed at helping communities, neighborhoods, or entire buildings take advantage of economies of scale. Recommended grants range in size from $50,000 to $350,000, and projects are geographically located in all regions of the state. Projects for these energy efficiency upgrades are submitted by nonprofit organizations that work directly with residents in need.

More than half of the 2018 grants address whole building upgrades that will see a payoff via energy savings in 10 years or less for homes and 15 years or less for commercial buildings.

• Choptank Electric Cooperative will use their $165,000 dollar grant to perform Whole Home/Whole Building upgrades that will include energy audits and installation of the most cost-effective energy efficiency and weatherization measures in at least 21 homes in Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester Counties. Choptank is a member-owned electric distribution utility that serves over 52,406 residential, commercial and industrial accounts in parts of all nine counties of Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

• Habitat for Humanity Susquehanna in Harford Country creates affordable housing opportunities throughout Harford and Cecil Counties by building, renovating and repairing homes in partnerships with the community. Habitat for Humanity Susquehanna will use their $80,000 dollar funding in Harford County to implement energy retrofits in approximately 7 homes, complete a comprehensive energy efficient renovation in one home, and fund the incremental costs of energy efficiency measures installed in approximately three to-be-constructed home for low income Maryland residents.

• Wicomico County Housing Authority provides services of affordable housing operations for income based families. The Authority will use their $175,000 dollar grant to perform energy audits, install cost-effective energy efficiency and weatherization measures to at least 23 housing units.

• United Communities Against Poverty (UCAP) is a non-profit in Prince George’s County that advocates for people facing deficiencies in education, affordable housing, and health care access. UCAP will receive $184,000 dollars in funding to complete home performance reviews for approximately 24 homes in need of Energy Star upgrades.

• Frederick County Office of Sustainability and Environmental Resources will use their 2018 funds of $350,000 dollars to will conduct energy audits and implement weatherization measures and energy efficiency upgrades to approximately 45 low-to-moderate homes in Frederick County using the Whole Home/Whole Building approach. Additionally, this grantee will use some of their grant to provide education on both energy efficiency measures and energy conservation behaviors that together can maximize electricity and fuel reductions and cost savings.

This grant will enable more than 40 projects to be funded in 21 Maryland counties and Baltimore City. Grantees will use the funds to install energy efficiency measures for senior housing, homeless shelters and residential homes. Each Maryland county and Baltimore City was initially provided an allocation based on the number of low-to-moderate income households residing in the respective area. The official list of grants awarded can be found here: LMI FY 18 Grant Listing FINAL  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 us 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.