Maryland Green Buildings Bill To Be Based on Commission Report

Published by RTO Insider: Commercial and multifamily residential buildings in Maryland would be required to eliminate their carbon emissions and new buildings would be all-electric under a bill being drafted in the state’s House of Delegates. And ideas in the recently released Maryland Climate Change Commission’s 2021 annual report are playing a key role, says the bill’s lead sponsor.

The Mitigation Working Group (MWG) recommended the Maryland Building Code Administration adopt a code that requires new buildings meet all water and space heating demand without fossil fuels (e.g., through electric heat pumps, solar thermal, etc.) and can accommodate solar panels, electric vehicle charging, and building-grid interaction. It would apply to all new residential, commercial and state-funded buildings beginning no later than 2024.

The MWG said the state could adopt New Building Institute’s Building Decarbonization Code, which includes an all-electric pathway. It also pointed to recently adopted building energy efficiency codes in California and Washington.

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