Savings at a Glance
By participating in the BGE Energy Solutions for Business and Small Business Energy Solutions programs, Baltimore City took advantage of financial incentives to make energy efficiency upgrades in more than 125 facilities across the city.
The City of Baltimore is home to more than 622,000 people. As Maryland’s largest city, it is responsible for the energy costs at more than 1,100 facilities, ranging from the typical—city hall, courthouse, schools, firehouses, libraries and recreation centers— to the less so, such as substations, museums, parking garages, a convention center and even a zoo! The enormous task of evaluating the efficiency of the lights, heating and cooling in city buildings and much more falls to the employees of the Department of Public Works’ Office of Sustainable Energy (OSE). Since its 2006 inception, the OSE has aggressively sought to improve energy efficiency across its portfolio of facilities and equipment, holding the belief that the best way to save energy is not to use it.
An early adopter, Baltimore was one of the first city governments in Maryland to participate in the BGE Smart Energy Savers Program®. Baltimore City teamed up with BGE to take advantage of technical assistance and financial incentives to help pay for energy efficiency upgrades in many of its facilities. To date, the city has received more than $2.5 million in incentives that helped offset the cost of energy efficiency projects across the city.