Montgomery County has started another program that rewards residents for conserving energy. Under the new Residential Energy Efficiency Rebate Program, owner occupants of single-family homes can receive up to $3,000 on a portion of the cost of installing energy-efficient heating, ventilating and cooling devices, insulation, and water heaters and pumps.
The program is funded by a $1.1 million portion of a $7.6 million stimulus grant for projects that enhance energy efficiency. As a result, participants in the program can receive the rebate in addition to federal, state and county tax credit programs.
| Ways to earn |
| • For installing air sealing, attic insulation, wall and other insulation and duct sealing in an unconditioned space, receive 20 percent of the cost of installation, up to $1,000 |
| • For installing central air conditioning, heating equipment, a furnace or a solar hot water heater, receive 25 percent of the cost of installation, up to $1,000 |
| • For installing air source heat pumps, receive 25 percent of the cost of installation, up to $1,200 |
| • For installing geothermal heat pumps up to 5.5 tons, receive 25 percent of the cost of installation, up to $2,000 |
| • For installing tankless and heat pump water heaters, receive up to $200 |
| • For installing condensing gas water heaters, receive up to $150 |
| • For installing freezer, refrigerator or whole-house energy use monitoring devices, receive up to $50 |
| • For installing dishwashers or clothes washers, receive up to $25 |
Montgomery already has two energy conservation programs for homeowners: the
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency tax credits. Those programs have annual allowances of $400,000 and $100,000, respectively.
However, both have backlogs — the waiting list for Renewable Energy tax credits had more than 500 people at the end of June — and residents waiting for payments may have to wait as long as six years. The county may suspend
the Renewable Energy Tax Credit while it catches up on payments, Department of Finance Director Joe Beach said.
The new program has the potential to benefit residents more than the previous tax credit program, according to Eric Coffman, senior energy planner with the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection.
“We are being very generous in the amount of money we give,” he said. Residents could receive from $25 for an energy-efficient dishwasher or washing machine to $2,000 for a geothermal heat pump, as long as the application qualifies for at least $500 and the total rebate is no more than $3,000.
The county’s Department of Environmental Protection predicts that between 300 and 500 homeowners will benefit from the program.
“This is the most important thing we can do both to generate economic growth in our community — to create good green jobs — and to help our residents save money,” said County Councilman Roger Berliner, D-Bethesda, who heads the council’s Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee.
County Executive Ike Leggett said the program will help the county reach its goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050.
But because the grant is part of the federal stimulus, the county must spend the money by November 2012, said Coffman, which means all applications for the rebate must be processed well before then.
Improvements that were completed before the program began are not eligible for rebates, Coffman said.
Before applying for the program, residents must complete an energy audit by a certified auditor and have a professional installer assess the work to be done. The application can be completed online at mcenergyfunding.com.
