Maryland’s Low-Income Carveout in Efficiency Funding

In April 2022, both houses of the Maryland legislature passed legislation that would steer energy efficiency funding more towards low-income residents.  The existing EmPOWER Maryland program requires investments in efficiency upgrades for businesses and homes, but the program largely benefits upper- and middle-class residents in practice.

SB 524 (2022) will require the state to provide funding to achieve 1 percent annual energy savings for low-income households by 2026. This funding will lower energy bills for 32,000 low-income households each year and lower energy bills for all 450,000 low-income Marylanders– in 13 years. As of this writing, the legislation is awaiting the governor’s signature.