The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD) Multifamily Energy Efficiency and Housing Affordability (MEEHA) program promotes energy efficiency and housing affordability in the State’s multifamily rental housing developments. MEEHA currently houses three programs: EmPOWER, Washington Gas Light (WGL), and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction program (GHGRP). Each program has specific affordability and funding requirements as stated in the table below.
| | EmPOWER
| WGL | GHGRP |
|---|
Affordability Requirements
| A minimum of 20% of households must be 80% AMI or less | A minimum of 20% of households must be 80% AMI or less | A minimum of 51% of households must be 80% AMI or less |
|---|
| Building Eligibility | All sizes and configurations including: Single family units as a group project, Individually metered units, Master metered buildings | 4+ units, individually metered for gas | Existing buildings with 35,000 gross sf of floor area or more, excluding parking garages. |
|---|
| Service Territory | Electric and Gas Utility Territory: Baltimore Gas and Electric, Delmarva, PEPCO, Potomac Edison, SMECO | Washington Gas Utility Territory | State of Maryland |
|---|
| Use of Funds | Reduce electric consumption, limited health and safety or incidental repairs in projects completing energy efficiency measures. Gas reducing measures are allowed if the customer is in the BGE utility territory. | Reduce gas consumption in the Washington Gas utility territory. | Reduce direct greenhouse gas emissions through replacing fossil fuel equipment with electric equipment. Building energy conservation and alternative energy generating systems. |
|---|
| Funding Allocation | $25.5M for CY 2021 - 2023 | $6.4M for CY 2021 - 2023 | $3.75M FY23, $5M each fiscal year FY 24-26 |
|---|
Application Process
Applications are accepted on an on-going basis and evaluated based on readiness to proceed, energy efficiency, and reduction of greenhouse gasses. The application process starts by submitting an application and the associated application documents. Projects applying for other DHCD funding need only to provide a copy of their 202 or other DHCD application. Projects applying only for MEEHA funding must submit a
MEEHA Application and application documents. Either application is accepted for all MEEHA programs. The application will be reviewed by a program team member who will contact the applicant to discuss the next steps in the funding process.
Application Documents
Projects requesting MEEHA funding only must submit supporting documentation to the Department as outlined on the application. The following is the list of documents required to be submitted prior to funding:
Required Documents for Commitment
- Application
- Commercial Utility Bill (Electric and Gas if Applicable)
-
Customer Consent to Obtain Energy Use Information Form (Commercial Electric and Gas Accounts)
- Grantee Signature Block
- Project Legal Description - attached as an exhibit to the property deed
-
SDAT Property Ownership Check
-
SDAT Status Check (Owner)
-
SDAT Status Check (Grantee – if different from owner)
-
Minority Business Enterprise Form
-
ACH Direct Deposit Form - must be submitted to the Comptroller of Maryland
- Proof of Affordability (Regulatory Agreement or Tax Covenant)
- A rent roll can satisfy this requirement for GHGRP projects.
- Minimum requirements for existing Regulatory Agreements or Tax Covenants are:
- 20% of units must be at or below 80% AMI for EmPOWER funds.
- 51% of units must be at or below 80% AMI for GHGRP funds.
- Must be in place for a minimum of five (5) years.
- If a Regulatory Agreement or Tax Covenant does not currently exist, DHCD will create a regulatory agreement that will be recorded for projects that are awarded program funds.
- W-9 Form (for the Grantee)
After the application has been submitted, reviewed, and accepted the applicant will be advised on the type of funding request to submit in order to receive funding. There are two types of funding request forms; Rehabilitation Funding Request or new construction/gut rehabilitation Prescriptive List Funding Request.
Rehabilitation Funding Request
A Rehabilitation Funding Request requires an energy audit to be completed on the project by a
Qualified Energy Auditor. The energy audit consists of an on-site evaluation to collect information about the existing conditions of the project. The Qualified Auditor enters information collected during the on-site evaluation into building simulation modeling software to estimate energy savings. This analysis is used to determine which energy efficiency measures should be recommended and to create an Energy Audit Report and a
Rehabilitation Funding Request. The Rehabilitation Funding Request is the formal request to DHCD for funding and must be submitted in addition to the energy audit report. Projects may include up to $5,000 of funds in the funding request for the energy audit.
Prescriptive List Funding Request
New construction or gut rehabilitation projects may be recommended to submit a Prescriptive List Funding Request. A Qualified Energy Auditor does not have to be commissioned for this process. Instead, the Owner or Developer will need to enter measures that will be completed during construction into the
Prescriptive List Funding Request.
Disbursement of Funds
Funds are disbursed during the course of construction as work is completed. Requisitions are completed on a MEEHA requisition form and require supporting documentation verifying the installation and specifications of funded energy efficiency measures. Requisitions are submitted to DHCD and a sample of the requisitioned items are inspected. DHCD will process the approved requisition for payment. *Note: Payments typically take 3-6 weeks to process. Filing a completed
ACH Direct Deposit Form with Maryland’s Comptroller’s Office may reduce this time period.
Qualified Project Managers
Owners of projects seeking only energy funds from the Department may elect to commission a
Qualified Project Manager. A Qualified Project Manager assists with the submission of required documents, energy audit coordination, finding and managing contractors, construction schedules, creating and submitting requisitions, and assists with inspections required by the Program. *Note: A Project Manager is not required for a project to receive funding but may help speed up the process and alleviate some actions or effort required by the owner. If a Qualified Project Manager is utilized, the project is eligible to receive up to $4,500 to fund the cost.
To become a Qualified Project Manager, the applicant must submit a signed
Project Manager Qualification Form and a
Qualified Project Manager Affidavit. The Project Manager Qualification Form states the requirements of the Project Manager and the Qualified Project Manager Affidavit states the Project Manager has experience managing at least three (3) multifamily energy efficiency projects.
Qualified Energy Auditors
To become a Qualified Energy Auditor, the applicant must hold a current Building Performance Institute Multifamily Building Analyst Certification, and one other current building science certification, as well as demonstrate their experience completing energy audits on multifamily residential buildings by submitting copies of 3 energy audit reports they have previously completed.
To establish best practices and guidance for conducting the energy audit, the Department has adopted the use of the Department’s
MEEHA Program Guide and
Building Performance Institute’s Technical Standards for the Multifamily Building Analyst Professional.
Helpful Information and Other Resources
Contact Information
Housing and Building Energy Programs
Community Development Administration
Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development
7800 Harkins Road, Lanham, MD 20706
E:
multifamilyenergy.dhcd@maryland.gov
MEEHA - EmPOWER and Washington Gas
Preston Thomas
Energy Program Manager
Housing and Building Energy Program
Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development
P: 301-429-7784
E:
Preston.Thomas@maryland.gov
MEEHA - GHGRP
Scott Falvey
Senior Energy Program Manager
Housing and Building Energy Programs
Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development
P: 301-429-7739
E:
Scott.Falvey@maryland.gov
