Clean Energy Program Overview
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY:
Sustainable Energy will stop accepting ALL Clean Energy Program grant applications beginning June 24, 2022 and issue final fiscal year 2022 pre-qualifications on June 30, 2022. This moratorium is due to the mandatory fiscal year close-out process and relocation of Sustainable Energy to a new agency in fiscal year 2023. We will update the website and other communication channels when the moratorium has been lifted and new applications are being accepted.
PLEASE NOTE ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH THE COMPLETED COVID19 PARTICIPATION TERMS AND CONDITIONS FORM.
The Clean Energy Program, Energy Efficiency Grant award joins ongoing efforts and programs created by Prince George’s County to uplift neighborhoods that face economic, health, public safety and educational challenges. This grant award, coupled with state energy incentives, provides assistance to residents to adopt energy-efficiency measures in nine designated neighborhoods, classified as Energy Resiliency Communities (ERCs).
Presidential Policy Directive (PPD) 21 (PDF) defines resilience as "the ability to anticipate, prepare for, and adapt to changing conditions and withstand, respond to, and recover rapidly from disruptions". From an energy perspective, resiliency is the ability to prepare for and adapt to utility disruptions and recover quickly from these disruptions. It involves the deployment of distributed energy resources such as energy efficiency, renewable energy such as solar PV and thermal, battery storage, and micro-grids.
The ERCs evolved from a County initiative, formerly known as Transforming Neighborhoods Initiative (TNI), which utilized several metric indicators such as education, public safety, and employment to identify key neighborhoods across the County needing holistic uplifting.
The Clean Energy Program builds on Maryland and Prince George’s County’s energy-efficiency and carbon reduction goals and seeks to help alleviate efficiency challenges faced by County residents. Taking the link between energy efficiency and social inequality to heart and helping to break the cycle of energy inefficiency and energy poverty, the Clean Energy Programs are to assist ERC residents with adopting energy efficiency measures in their homes.
Program Objectives
Funds can be used to offset the costs of various energy efficiency and retrofitting measures, and for professional services needed to address barriers and transform to higher efficiency and of renewable energy adoption (solar PV and solar water heater) for the respective property.
Participants of the Clean Energy Program are required to apply to the applicable EmPOWER Maryland incentive program: for market rate applicants, Pepco's Home performance with ENERGY STAR Program, or for income-qualified applicants, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development's (DHCD) Low Income Energy Efficiency Program (LIEEP).
Grants will be available to offset the costs of measures as recommended by a home energy assessment, to facilitate implementation of efficiency measures - funds may also be used to address challenges that would prevent the adoption of recommended efficiency measures. Upon completion of energy efficiency upgrades, residents in ERC designated communities may apply for solar PV and/or solar water heater grants.
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Energy Efficiency Grant
The Clean Energy Program, Energy Efficiency grant award provides up to $7,500 in funds for residential energy efficiency measures, in addition to Pepco and Washington Gas incentives.
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Solar Energy Grant
This grant award, coupled with state energy incentives, provides assistance to residents to access the benefits of solar photovoltaic (PV) and/or solar water heater upon the successful implementation of energy-efficiency (electricity and natural gas) measures.
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Solar PV Grant
Residents are empowered to choose their own solar contractor to install their rooftop solar system.
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Solar Water Heater Grant
The Solar Water Heater grant award operates on a first-come, first-served basis and incentive rebates are dependent upon cost-effectiveness and funding availability.