Energy Efficiency

Gov. Martin O'Malley announced $2.1 million in grants Thursday fund energy-efficiency projects aimed at low- and moderate-income families. "These grants are an example of exactly the type of efficiency projects we had intended for Maryland communities and families when we entered into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the nation's first multi-state collaborative carbon cap-and-trade program," O'Malley said in a statement. "These grants are another step forward in our goal to take control of our energy future.

My husband and I recycle everything possible. We use cloth bags rather than paper or plastic, we are organ donors, we compost our kitchen scraps, and we even take The Sun online rather than waste paper ("Don't save the planet" May 3). But we do not - will not - use "screwy" light bulbs. By the government's own admission, they are a severe biohazard if they are broken. That alone ought to give any sensible person reason to question them. They cannot be used in three-way lights, or with a dimmer switch.

Morgan State University will serve as a research partner on a $129 million federal grant awarded to Pennsylvania State University to improve energy efficiency in commercial, public and residential buildings around the country. President Barack Obama promoted the initiative in an appearance at Penn State on Thursday, saying the research could help businesses save as much as $40 billion a year in utility costs. "Making our buildings more energy efficient is one of the fastest, easiest and cheapest ways to save money, combat pollution and create jobs right here in the United States of America," Obama said.

An Annapolis-based financier of clean energy infrastructure amended its plans to sell stock to the public, more than doubling its target to $250 million. Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital Inc., which provides debt and equity financing for solar, geothermal and other energy efficiency projects, filed the amendment earlier this month. The company filed plans in Feb. 15 with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a $100 million initial public offering. The company now plans to offer 13.3 million shares of common stock for $14 to $16 per share.

The city of Annapolis has announced a pilot program aimed at providing residents and small-business owners with funding for affordable, energy-efficient improvements to their homes and shops. The Annapolis Energy Zone, or EZ, program - formed with the help of the Maryland Energy Administration, the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce, and Commerce First Bank - will provide private funds to property owners interested in reducing the city's impact on the environment. "This will be a program that will allow the reduction of the carbon footprint and is one part of the city's overall program to increase energy efficiency," said City Administrator Bob Agee.

Michael Sarbanes, a candidate for City Council president, plans to unveil a proposal today that he says would promote energy-efficiency measures to help residents reduce the impact of higher electricity rates, while also creating jobs. Sarbanes, a longtime community activist making his first run for public office, was to announce his proposal this morning, followed by a demonstration of an energy audit at a private residence. The proposal would encourage people to conduct an energy-efficiency audit on their homes, identifying passages where air escapes and targeting areas for sealing and insulation.

Baltimore electrical engineering company Gill-Simpson plans to build an office complex on 13 acres in Owings Mills, the first new office construction in that part of the county to start this year and a sign to some observers of better days ahead for the stalled commercial real estate market. The company, which attributes some of its growth to the federal military base closure and realignment, is scheduled to break ground this week on a 40,000-square foot headquarters, the first phase of a three-building project.

Potomac Edison is introducing its first energy-conservation programs that include financial incentives for customers to participate.But the power company's Maryland customers -- in part of Carroll County and all of Western Maryland -- will have to foot the bill as builders and businesses enjoy most of the incentives.The programs give rebates for installing energy-efficient lighting and energy-saving devices, said Susan Tuckwell, director of customer relations for Potomac Edison."We've been encouraging energy efficiency and energy conservation for a long time," she said.

Congressman John Sarbanes is right when he says his legislation, the PACE Tax Benefits Act, will support a program that will "sustain a long-term movement toward energy efficiency and renewable-energy generation" ("Tax-free bond program can create jobs, spur energy-efficiency projects," Dec. 24). In the upcoming legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly will consider a bill that would allow communities to set up a Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) bond program like the one Mr. Sarbanes promotes, encouraging more Maryland homeowners to take advantage of available technology; citizens can put solar panels on their roofs or invest in energy-efficiency retrofits at a much smaller upfront cost and pay these loans back over time.

Gov. Martin O'Malley has set many strong clean energy goals for the state. He continues to wisely push for the development of wind energy off our shores ("Md. governor readies offshore wind power mandate, turbines could be spinning by 2016," Feb. 9), but let's not leave energy efficiency in the dust. Efficiency remains one of our best strategies for boosting the economy and providing clean, reliable energy to Marylanders. The Maryland state legislature has already dedicated money for energy efficiency through the Strategic Energy Investment Fund that pays for most of the Maryland Energy Administration's programs, including efficiency.

Baltimore is about to adopt a "climate action plan" that among other things calls for increasing energy efficiency in city homes and buildings, developing more renewable energy, getting more people out of their cars and planting more trees. The plan, drawn up over the past 11 months, spells out a laundry list of measures aimed at reducing climate-warming emissions of carbon dioxide 15 percent by the end of the decade.  The plan is scheduled for a final hearing before adoption by the city Planning Commission on Thursday, Nov. 29 at 2:30 pm at the Office of Sustainability, 417 E. Fayette St., 8th floor.

Maryland's state government desperately wants you to plug up your leaky house in order to use less electricity. To get homeowners on board, the Empower Maryland program is offering 50 percent rebates of up to $3,150 on retrofit projects that make your home more energy efficient. The goal is simple: reduce electricity usage while reducing Maryland's greenhouse gases. Many homeowners would be surprised at how much they can save on their utility bills - and how quickly their up-front investment gets paid back.  Under the program, Greg Baggan of Canton learned he had been heating the equivalent of three homes, when he only owns one. An energy audit revealed that all the leaks in his home, when combined, equated to a 4 square-foot hole in his small row house.

The $113.5 million that Exelon Corp. agreed to make available for innovative projects — a condition of regulatory approval for its purchase of Constellation Energy in Baltimore — was awarded Thursday to groups planning to help low-income customers, small businesses and others lower their energy bills. Exelon's Maryland regulator, the Public Service Commission, decided how to distribute the money after receiving 98 proposals. Baltimore will receive the largest single piece of the fund — nearly $53 million will go to the city government for projects to permanently lower energy bills through energy efficiency work such as weatherization, upgrades and lower-usage education.

Commentator Bob Bruninga would have us believe that electric cars could substantially increase the energy efficiency and decrease the environmental impact of autos while providing an economical and practical alternative to our current gasoline-fueled fleet ("Keep on open mind on electric cars," Oct. 4). Nothing could be farther from the truth. Let's look at energy efficiency. The gasoline-fueled internal combustion engine has an efficiency rate of about 25 percent, while diesels have an efficiency rate of 30 percent.

A top O'Malley administration energy official has left Annapolis, where he's had mixed success pushing for wind and solar projects, for the fiercer political winds of Washington. Malcolm D. Woolf, director of the Maryland Energy Administration for the past five years, has joined " Advanced Energy Economy ," a new national business association that seeks to promote energy efficiency as well as wind, solar and nuclear power.  As the group's vice president for government and regulatory affairs, he said he expects to spend time advocating for favorable policies in Washington and in state capitals.

The 72,500-acre Aberdeen Proving Ground has been named to the Top Earth Day Champions list for its success in reducing harmful carbon emission and energy waste. The facility has a goal of reducing energy consumption 30 percent by 2015. Aberdeen Proving Ground is ranked third on the Earth Day Champions list; has reduced its carbon footprint by more than 24,499 metric tons - the equivalent of planting 5,224 acres of pine forests; and has modernized and upgraded more than 2,000 buildings.

State officials have added additional money to a popular program that offers rebates for energy-efficient home improvements. So far, nearly 700 Maryland residents have been reimbursed through the Maryland Home Performance Rebate Program, exhausting the $1 million in federal stimulus dollars originally redirected to the program in January, according to the Maryland Energy Administration. Through the program, residents can get a rebate for 35 percent of the costs of qualifying efficiency projects, such as whole-house air sealing, duct replacement or insulation.

Westminster, Winfield students get lesson in energy efficiency Students at Westminster and Winfield elementary schools have been participating in the "BTU Crew" interactive program, conducted by a team of associates from Boland, an office of the Trane company. During this program, students explored how to make the buildings more energy efficient and sustainable. Students participated in hands-on lessons to discover how they can make an impact on energy efficiency and conservation while learning about green career options.

With summer starting to heat up, city officials are floating a "climate action plan" this evening (Tuesday) that aims to curb Baltimore's greenhouse gas emissions 15 percent by decade's end. Easing the city's climate impact is one of the goals of Baltimore's sustainability plan . The draft strategy, prepared by a 25-member advisory committee, ticks off more than three dozen ideas for reducing the city's carbon footprint, some as simple as...

The state outlined Friday how it proposes to spend the $113.5 million that Exelon Corp. agreed to put in a "customer investment fund" as part of its merger with Baltimore Gas and Electric Co.'s parent. The biggest piece — $44 million — would go to weatherization services and furnace replacement for low-income residents with high energy bills. Other proposed uses include building off-the-grid public schools and helping small businesses improve their energy efficiency. The Maryland Public Service Commission approved Exelon's acquisition of Baltimore-based Constellation Energy Group this year on the condition that it create the investment fund with half of the merger's estimated "synergy" savings.