Emissions from commercial buildings have become a primary target for greenhouse gas reductions. Maryland is investing in that effort.

On Sept. 9, the state’s energy administration announced a new grant program to facilitate building decarbonization.

The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) Commercial & Community Buildings Grant Program is offering financial incentives for building owners to invest in energy efficiency upgrades, electrification, renewable energy development and energy storage systems.

The goal of the program is to accelerate reductions of greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy costs, increase deployment of clean energy and fuel economic development. It targets buildings of all sizes, including those covered by the state’s 2022 Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS), commercial buildings, nonprofit facilities, and buildings owned by county and city government and local school districts.

The program has a budget of just over $100 million, almost half of which ($48 million) is allocated for commercial building grants. Specific technologies eligible for funding include solar installations, electric heat pumps, community resilience microgrids, insulation, electric panel upgrades, building controls and LED lighting. Funding is available on a competitive basis. Applications will be accepted until December 9.

The Commercial and Community Buildings Grant Program is the latest incentive offered by the MEA to improve energy efficiency and expand clean power in buildings. The agency already offers a Commercial and Industrial Grant Program, which provides incentives to owners of Maryland-based commercial, industrial, data center and nonprofit facilities to invest in improvements that result in energy performance that exceeds current codes or standards.

The MEA is also launching a technical assistance program to assist building owners with properties covered by the State’s BEPS. The goal of the program is to provide assistance with compliance activities such as energy benchmarking and decarbonization planning.