Montgomery’s Home Energy Loan Program Put on Hold

A much-anticipated program for residents seeking to make energy improvements to their homes has been put on hold before it could launch, due to concerns raised by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), the Montgomery Gazette reported last week.

The Home Energy Loan Program (HELP) would lend up to $25,000 to homeowners who had received an energy audit and wanted to make renewable energy and energy efficiency upgrades to their homes. Loan payments would be made over 15 years through a voluntary line item on the home’s property tax.

In this way, HELP would make it more attractive for homeowners to consider investing in energy improvements, which can be expensive.

The HELP loan would place a “first lien” on the property, so that if an owner defaults on their payments, the delinquent payments of the HELP loan would be paid off before the mortgage.

In policy-speak, HELP is a Property-Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program, one of many being proposed across the nation. A handful of states have successful PACE initiatives.

According to the Montgomery Gazette, the FHFA, which regulates Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks, said July 6 that PACE programs would violate the agency’s principles in governing loans, and homeowners that obtain the loans could be in default of their mortgage agreement, face accelerated payments, and be prohibited from refinancing.

Eric Coffman, a senior energy planner with the county Department of Environmental Protection, said the county could not move forward with HELP with such risks hanging over the heads of homeowners.

Efforts are underway at the federal level to address the issue. The Gazette noted that the PACE Protection Act has been introduced in Congress.

Are you waiting for HELP to come before making energy improvements to your home? Discuss the issue here!

Useful Links:

• MoCo Home Energy Loan Program Website
• PACENow Advocacy Group
• Energy-Related Tax Credits

 

Local Green News for Late Monday, May 24, in DC and Montgomery County

• Local Power Plant Gets Carbon Tax:  The Montgomery County Council passed a carbon tax bill May 19, which will impose a $5 tax for each ton of carbon dioxide produced by companies that produce more than 1 million tons of carbon dioxide each year. Mirant is the only such firm in the county; its Dickerson power plant produces 3 million tons of CO2 a year.

• Yes, DC, your water did have lead in it: The Washington Post’s Robert McCartney wrote a column May 23 about Marc Edwards, a Virginia Tech environmental engineering professor who for six years challenged a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Protection. He was vindicated May 21 when the CDC published an admission in an official weekly bulletin that it had misled the public about the risk of lead in the city’s drinking water in 2004.

Events:

• Tuesday, May 25, 7-8:30 pm – Filmmaker Chris Palmer will talk about his new book, “Shooting in the Wild: An Insider’s Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom,” published by Sierra Club Books. He’ll also show clips from his wildlife films. Palmer is director of American University’s Center for Environmental Filmmaking. Event takes place at Bethesda Green, 4825 Cordell Ave., 2nd Floor, Bethesda, Md.

• Wednesday, May 26, 6:30 pm – Journalist Heather Rogers will be at Busboys and Poets at 14th and V Street, NW, discussing and signing her new book, ‘Green Gone Wrong: How Our Economy Is Undermining the Environmental Revolution.’

• Thursday, May 27, 7:30 pm – ReThink Montgomery — A. Michael Schaal, Director of Energy Information Administration’s Oil and Gas Division, will discuss energy and sustainability at Park and Planning Headquarters, 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring.

 

Earth Day Gift: Maryland Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program

In a great bit of timing, the Maryland Energy Administration launched its Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program today. Maryland residents can apply for rebates for select models of the following three appliances:  Energy Star clothes washers ($100), Energy Star refrigerators ($50), and Electric Heat Pump Water Heaters ($300). Visit the rebate program Web site for more details. Marylanders must apply for the rebates through their electric utility company, and those companies will process all rebates. In addition, some utilities are offering their own rebates for these appliances. The website contains charts showing all possible rebates.

Happy Earth Day!

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p.s. — We have a few energy efficiency resources at Bethesda Green, including our energy efficiency program team, a list of Top 10 Easy Steps to Energy Efficiency, and a list of energy-related tax credits.

 

How Small Businesses Can Go Green and Save Money

Jennifer Kaplan speaks at Bethesda Green.

One author and two Pepco program representatives brought a big message for small businesses to Bethesda Green, Tuesday, March 9: Going green can save your business money, with a modest amount of effort.

Jennifer Kaplan discussed her book, ‘Greening Your Small Business,’ which came out last fall. Her top three tips: Use less, buy and source locally, and start small. In the use less category, she recommended turning off your company’s computers at night to save energy. Also, consider getting rid of your fax machine and instead sending and receiving faxes electronically (this saves paper and electricity).

Buying and sourcing locally means you’ll pay lower transportation costs for those items (and eliminate environmental impacts of long-distance transport). Buying locally also supports the local economy and has a cultural impact in your community—you get to know your suppliers, who are more likely to help you with custom orders.

As for starting small, Kaplan said businesses should consider doing the little things—such as buying recycled products and using less paper—that can add up when multiplied by the 29 million small businesses in America. Her book offers dozens more tips and examples of small businesses implementing green practices across the country.

Kaplan is an adjunct faculty of marketing at Marymount University in Arlington, Va., and founder of Greenhance LLC, a business consultancy that provides marketing and communication strategies to small businesses going green.

(L to R) Pepco's Manuel Vera, author Jennifer Kaplan and Pepco Commercial Energy Savings program manager Nick Keller

The two other speakers, Nick Keller and Manuel Vera of Pepco’s Commercial & Industrial Energy Savings Program, discussed how small businesses can qualify for rebates for making energy efficiency improvements.

Keller noted that companies can save about 30 percent on their energy bills with very little effort. The program helps offset costs for energy efficient upgrades in three ways: providing rebates of certain dollar amounts for certain products, such as lighting; providing custom rebates for other energy-saving solutions companies come up with; and reimbursing energy efficiency training costs for building managers, up to $1,000 or 80 percent of the training.

In addition, the program has a network of trade contractor allies that are pre-approved to do energy efficiency work.

Companies seeking a custom rebate must get pre-approval from the program. Keller noted that the program’s funding comes from electricity bills; you’re paying for it, so might as well take advantage of it. To learn more, visit pepco.com/business and click on “Energy Efficiency Programs.”

Some 20 people attended the lunchtime event and there was a lively Q&A after the presentations. Access Montgomery TV filmed the event; they’ll use some of the footage in the ‘Think Green’ TV show, which airs Saturdays at 3:00 p.m. on Channel 21 on RCN, Comcast and Verizon services.

Bethesda Green Executive Director Dave Feldman noted that Bethesda Green will be launching a program for small businesses in May, in partnership with the Bethesda Chamber of Commerce. Stay tuned for details.

Do you know ways small businesses can go green and save money? Have you implemented such actions at your small business? Post your comments here!