Energy Tips & Advice
We love to share trending news and helpful advice for the energy industry
Bump that SACP: Why Maryland’s Commercial Solar Market is Heading Up
As readers of the blog know, there are several key factors that explain the price of SRECs (Solar Renewable Energy Credits). One of these factors is the Solar Alternative Compliance Payment (SACP). The SACP is the fee that energy retailers (like Pepco and...
Is Your Building Subject to a Building Energy Performance Standard?
This week owners and property managers of properties exceeding 50k square feet in the District of Columbia received a letter from the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) informing them of whether their building is subject to Building Energy Performance...
Where are DC SREC prices headed in 2021?
Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) remain the foremost driving force behind the deployment of solar PV in Washington, DC. What’s more, they are also the least understood and most difficult factor to forecast when modeling cash flows of a solar investment. This...
Fines for DC BEPS Noncompliance
The fines for failing to comply with the District of Columbia’s Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) can be steep. Thankfully, as of 2021, they currently only apply to buildings over 50,000 total square feet and DC’s Office of Energy and Environment accepts...
Solar PV Integration with Green Roofs
Roofs in urban areas can be very valuable real estate. Besides protecting occupants from the elements, they can also be used for amenity space, hosting cell towers, HVAC equipment, window washing anchors, skylights, compact wind turbines, … just to name a few. Adding...
Should I wait for a better deal on solar panels?
We get this question quite a bit so thought we’d address it in our blog. Here’s how the argument goes: given that the price of solar panels continues to decline significantly each year, while their efficiency increases, it would stand to reason that someone could get...
Requirements for New Commercial Solar Constructions in DC Explained
A key part of the DC Construction Code Supplement of 2017 requires that newly constructed commercial buildings meet certain renewable energy requirements. Though there are various pathways to compliance, we will focus on the onsite renewable energy codes for the...
DC’s Multifamily Benchmarking and Efficiency Requirements
Imagine it’s May 1st. We’ve hopefully gotten through the worst of this pandemic, but you are still playing catchup after coordinating a new disinfection service for the common areas of your property. In your mail you find a “Notice of Violation” from DC’s Office of...
Explaining the DC BEPS (Building Energy Performance Standards)
As a property owner or manager in District of Columbia, the most important new regulatory system you should be aware of for 2021 is the Building Energy Performance Standards or BEPS. BEPS was a major aspect of the 2018 Clean Energy DC Omnibus Act and established one...
What does a Biden administration mean for your energy bills?
OK, it’s election season and for the first time this millennium, it looks like we’ve got a President who’s going to get booted out of office after only 4 years. The new Biden administrations will likely have a very different viewpoint on national energy policies. So...
The State of Solar in Montgomery County, MD
By Stewart Lawrence In Montgomery County, Maryland, a progressive jurisdiction where support for renewable energy is widespread, there's been a notable jump in solar installations. In 2010, there were just 150 homes in the county with solar panels. That figure...
EV Charging Solutions for Condos and Apartments
Before we answer what tools are available for building managers to implement EV (Electric Vehicles) charging stations for their communities, we must first answer why they would want to do this in the first place. After all, sales of EVs in the US hit a big slump in...
The Ongoing Battle over Solar Easements
By Stewart Lawrence Washington, DC has embraced solar power in recent years but it remains an epicenter of conflict between solar power advocates and developers. Over a decade ago, the DC city council passed a law that guaranteed solar access for homeowners....
DC Raises Solar Net Metering Limits
Good news coming from the DC Public Service Commission (PSC). A new regulation raises the maximum size of Net Energy Metered (NEM) solar PV systems. For a refresher as to what exactly a NEM system is, take a look at this article we posted a few months ago. Prior to...
Can a UV lighting system prevent the spread of Coronavirus in your building?
by Stewart Lawrence and Andrew Zimdahl Most people are settling in for the long haul with COVID-19. The pandemic is not going away any time soon, and we’ll be living with the aftershocks for years. In fact, the threat of reinfection as the virus evolves...
Where do I recycle electronic waste in Washington, DC?
DC is a national leader in the proper recycling of e-waste. DC enacted the Sustainable Solid Waste Management Amendment Act in 2014 that created the eCYCLE DC program with the goal to divert 80% of e-waste away from landfills by 2032. You can recycle your...
Federal Solar ITC Included in New Recovery Bill
by Bobby Monacella of Ipsun Solar This week House Democrats introduced the Moving Forward Act, a sweeping $1.5 trillion package to support long-term economic growth in response to COVID-19. We are so happy to see that the package includes our stated...
DC, Maryland, & Virginia Natural Gas Price Update
It’s been quite a year for energy prices, to put it mildly. The national natural gas spot market, as measured by the Henry Hub spot market, has not been this low in over 20 years. Keep in mind the Henry Hub chart measures current gas prices. Honeydew typically helps...