Maryland Announces Inaugural Awards from the Electrifying Community Buildings Grant Program

Continued follow through on Governor Moore’s climate promise includes $6.78 million to hospitals, places of worship, private schools and other community buildings

BALTIMORE – The Maryland Energy Administration today announced the inaugural round of grant awards from the Electrifying Community Buildings Grant Program for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25). From the Edgar Allen Poe House and Museum to the Shady Side Community Center, the 12 new grants for electrification upgrades will help cut energy use and increase the energy efficiency of buildings important to communities throughout Maryland.

“The grants that come through the new Electrifying Community Buildings program are transformative to the communities they serve. The work put in motion by these grants will cut energy usage by the buildings, lowering utility bills – in many cases rather dramatically – and increasing comfort for building occupants,” said Maryland Energy Administration Director Paul G. Pinsky.  “What’s more, the combined benefit of these dozen projects will be akin to cutting the carbon dioxide emissions from burning well over 50,000 backyard propane cylinders, which is no small accomplishment in a single year.” 

The Electrifying Community Buildings Grant Program was developed as a result of Governor Wes Moore’s commitment to invest $50 million total through a suite of grant programs to electrify hospitals, schools, multi-family housing and other community buildings. The program’s funding will help defray some of the costs of building electrification efforts and facilitate the electrification of community-serving facilities whose primary purpose is to serve the public, such as medical facilities, private K-12 schools, places of worship and similar buildings. 

The program received a total of 15 applications from community-serving facilities across Maryland in its first year, representing a diverse range of sectors and projects aimed at eliminating fossil fuel use and supporting statewide decarbonization efforts. Overall, a total of more than $9.5 million was requested, with a final amount of $6.78 million in funding ultimately awarded. It is anticipated that these projects in aggregate will annually avoid 1,273.33 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents per year. 

Electrifying Community Buildings FY25 Grantees:

1. Bender Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington, $794,685, Montgomery County. Funding enables the replacement of natural gas-fired heating equipment with high-efficiency heat pumps, a comprehensive roof replacement and installation of high performance insulation across 75,000+ square feet.
   
2. Gethsemane United Methodist Church, $351,795, Prince George’s County. Funding enables the replacement of the existing oil-fired cast iron boiler, installation of a new variable refrigerant flow system to provide high-efficiency heating and cooling, a modernized mechanical ventilation system to enhance indoor air quality, and electrical upgrades to improve existing electrical infrastructure.
3. Harford Day School, Inc., $220,000, Harford County. Funding enables the replacement of two 27-year-old gas-fired boilers that are powering a hot water radiator heating system, associated pumps, and two air-to-air chillers with a modern high-efficiency inverter-driven compressor system that provides heat capacity to temperatures below zero.
4. Howard County Government, $1,848,500. Funding enables the installation of a new rooftop, energy efficient HVAC system to heat and cool the High Ridge Building in a centrally controlled and optimized manner. The project will also include an electric ground-source (geothermal) heat pump system. A heat pump water heater will replace the existing oil water heater to create a fully electrified building.
5. Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, $363,634, Baltimore City. Funding enables the installation of new HVAC and water heater upgrades by replacing existing gas-fired equipment with electric heat pumps. The project also will feature the replacement of an existing 4-gallon natural gas water heater with a 67-gallon electric heat pump water heater.
6. Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, $200,000, Montgomery County. Funding makes possible the replacement of rooftop gas-fired boiler systems with variable refrigerant flow electric heat pumps, located on the Grant Family Life Center.
7. Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church, $112,781, Baltimore County. Funding enables the replacement of two aging water heaters with high-efficiency heat pump units and adding a new outdoor air reset control system.
8. Poe Baltimore, Inc., $572,840, Baltimore City. Funding will cover the replacement of existing inefficient steam heating and outdated electrical infrastructure at The Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum. The project will consist of new high-efficiency electric heat pumps, upgrades to electrical service and distribution panels, and new heat pump water heaters. Building envelope improvements such as insulation, air sealing, and high-performance windows will further reduce energy demand and improve sustainability.
9. St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, $145,640, Baltimore City. Funding will enable the replacement of an existing oil-fired boiler currently used to heat the 6,300 square foot building with a high-efficiency ground-source (geothermal) heat pump system. Additionally, Saint Bartholomew's will upgrade the building’s electrical panel and insulate the ceiling and floors of the 110-year-old facility. The project will result in zero on-site greenhouse gas emissions and reduced costs.
10. St. John Neumann Catholic Church, $561,906.50, Montgomery County. Funding covers the replacement of an existing gas-fired water boiler and outdated HVAC system. The project will consist of a new system to eliminate the use of fossil fuels and the now-banned R-22 refrigerant, improve ventilation with energy recovery, and modernize the system controls. St. John Neumann will also install high-efficiency electric heat pump technology.
11. Shady Side Community Center, Inc., $125,000, Anne Arundel County. Funding covers the replacement of an existing oil heating system and window air conditioning units with five new high-efficiency solar, hybrid mini-split heat pumps alongside solar PV panels and energy storage. These updates will eliminate the use of fossil fuels and shift to a more cost-effective and clean approach to energy consumption.
12. University of Maryland Baltimore County, $1,478,950. Funding covers the replacement of existing water source heat pumps and a gas boiler with new high-efficiency heat pump technology, as well as an expansion tank to prevent short loop heating issues, and the replacement of condenser water pumps with VFD-enabled pumps to optimize heat rejection loop temperatures. Additionally, four pipe air source heat pumps supplied by two gas boilers and one 250-ton chiller will be replaced with new high-efficiency heat pump technology.

For Marylanders interested in applying or learning more about the upcoming FY26 cycle of the Electrifying Community Buildings Grant Program, please contact Program Manager Megan Lackay at Megan.Lackay@maryland.gov or email Building.Decarbonization@maryland.gov.

The Maryland Energy Administration promotes clean, affordable, reliable energy and energy-related greenhouse gas emission reductions to benefit Marylanders in a just and equitable manner. For more information about the agency and its programs, visit our website at Energy.Maryland.gov, and follow us on social media: LinkedIn | X | Facebook. 

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