Sustainability for Business and Organizations
Businesses, congregations and other community organizations have many opportunities to improve their green infrastructure and energy efficiency.
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Businesses, homeowner's associations and neighborhood associations can work directly with vendors to operate charging stations on their properties for resident or employee use.
Green Landscapes
Improve the outdoor areas of buildings and campuses with the resources below. Grants and incentives can make a major difference—providing cooling shade, beautiful landscapes and reducing stormwater runoff into local streams. Find a huge trove of practical resources at the Maryland Green Registry.
There are opportunities for rebates, incentives or grants for commercial green infrastructure. Some are first come, first served.
- County Watershed Association Grants
- Blue Water Baltimore Grants (scroll down to “Green Stormwater Infrastructure”)
- Chesapeake Bay Trust Grant programs
- Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake programs
- Maryland DNR Grants for water quality
- EPA Smart Steps to Sustainability for organizations
- Five Million Trees in Maryland
- Sustainable design patterns can make your site healthier, as well as more useful, beautiful, valuable and comfortable. They begin at the roof of your buildings and move down your downspouts to your landscape.
- Sustainable Sites Initiative—A set of voluntary guidelines and optional rating system for landscaping.
- EPA Resources—For regulatory compliance and beyond.
- U.S. Green Building Council—Can help with building renovations and construction, landscaping and property portfolios. They also have a rich resource library.
Energy Efficiency
Improve the performance of your buildings, refrigeration, parking lots or other infrastructure with the resources below. Grants and incentives can make a major difference in monthly utility bills and improve equipment performance.
Important Note: The County requires new commercial construction to meet the latest code standards.
Below is a list of resources for commercial, industrial, education, nonprofit, and other nonresidential building owners or managers.
Incentives
- FY25 Programs List—An annual list of incentives, maintained by the Maryland Energy Administration.
- Energy Efficiency Incentives—For commercial, industrial and agricultural buildings.
- Electrification Incentives—To switch away from fossil fuels.
- Critical Infrastructure Incentives—For buildings that serve the community in emergencies, severe weather, etc. to improve resiliency.
- Maryland Clean Energy Center—Provides turn-key, low-cost, standardized Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (CPACE) program services to property owners, capital providers, contractors and local governments.
- For BGE Commercial Customers—Explore a large selection of energy efficiency incentives for nonresidential customers.
Grants and Loans
- For Higher Education— Competitive incentives for renewable energy and energy planning.
- Mechanical Insulation Grant—Improves energy efficiency for HVAC systems in large, nonresidential buildings.
- Low-or No-Interest Loans—For Maryland nonprofits, local governments, businesses and state agencies.
There are opportunities for rebates, incentives or grants for commercial renewable energy installations. Some are first-come, first-served.
County Resources
County’s Maryland Works for Wind—Workforce training and apprenticeship programs.
State Resources
- Commercial Solar Grant—First-come, first-served.
- Energy Storage Income Tax Credit—Currently being redesigned for FY26.
- Maryland Community Solar Grant—To entice renewable energy producers.
- MEA Offshore Wind Supply
- Chain Investment Program—Supports businesses that supply the offshore wind industry.
- Workforce Training and Education Program—Helps develop the skills and capabilities needed for offshore wind.
The Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) law tracks commercial building performance and encourages improvement over time.
About the Law
- Nonresidential buildings 35,000 square feet and larger qualify, but some buildings are excepted. Owners can apply for exceptions.
- In 2030 to 2034, buildings will need to meet performance standards.
- Standards are expected to increase every five years.
Resources
- Starter Guide—Help building owners and managers understand the law, actions they need to take, timelines and more.
- Benchmarking Guide—Building owners/managers start by submitting benchmarks to a free online portal.
- Technical and Financial Resources
- Trainings and Additional Resources
Additional Resources
- Business Services—Available from the Department of Economic and Workforce Development
- Commercial Revitalization Programs
- Maryland Technical Assistance to Green your Business