Governor Moore recently announced $4 million Comprehensive Energy Efficiency Retrofits Pilot Program spread across five counties and one municipality.
Governor Wes Moore recently announced $4 million in grants to six jurisdictions for repairs that will enable nearly 300 homes to proceed with comprehensive energy efficiency retrofits. The funds will be deployed through a new pilot program that integrates the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development’s energy efficiency programs and rehabilitation programs, providing the repairs necessary to proceed with upgrades for homes deferred for health and safety reasons.
According to the press release:
“Through this pilot program, we’re opening the door for more Maryland homes to meet their energy efficiency goals,” said Gov. Wes Moore. “Encouraging these energy improvements at the residential level—and ensuring that they can be made efficiently—is an important step in addressing our climate challenges.”
“Creating safer, more energy-efficient homes is one part of ensuring that legacy homeowners are able to maintain their dignity throughout life,” said Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day. “By integrating these means of assistance and eliminating barriers in the process for receiving them, we can help Marylanders stay in their homes longer, more comfortably, and with fewer risks to their health and wellness.”
Through the program, the department will increase the number of homes across the state that are eligible for assistance through its energy efficiency programs. Currently, 38 percent of Maryland homes assessed for energy efficiency improvements are deferred for health and safety reasons that cannot be addressed with funding from the department’s energy programs. Jurisdictions receiving awards include Allegany, Garrett, Howard, and St. Mary’s counties; the City of Frederick; and the City of Baltimore.
The pilot program will aid in deploying funds from the department’s Weatherization Assistance Program, which recently received $45 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Energy through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This recent allocation will increase funding to the program by roughly three times, significantly expanding the potential reach of the program and the number of Maryland homes it can serve, which is anticipated to increase through the course of the pilot.
