Maryland county passes new energy benchmarking laws

Montgomery County, Maryland, became the first county in the United States to pass energy benchmarking laws. With these new regulations set to go into effect and help track efficiency progress being made, the county is following the footsteps of several major American cities – including New York City and Chicago – who are dedicated to reducing their power consumption.

The new laws give strict deadlines for both county and commercially-owned buildings to comply. Government-controlled facilities will have until June 1, 2015 to follow the new benchmark laws. Commercial buildings greater than 250,000 square have until December 2016 while those over 500,000 square feet have until the following December. These deadlines were stipulated by the benchmark laws.

With a population of over 1 million people, Montgomery County is included in both the metropolitan areas of Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. The county has several major corporations that are headquartered within its borders – including Geico and Discovery Communications – and many large buildings that will have to comply with these new standards. Experts estimate that energy benchmarking can reduce the power consumption of a space by up to 7 percent.

"My hope is that this benchmarking bill, when paired with our recently passed commercial PACE program, will bring about significant private investment and good green jobs in our commercial building sector for energy efficiency improvements," bill sponsor and county council member Roger Berliner said in a statement to the press.

If you live in Maryland and would like your house to use less power than it currently does, schedule an energy audit today with Alban Inspections! Contact us for more information about the home inspection services we offer.