By Sarah Everhart
If one of your goals for the New Year is to make the farm more energy efficient or install a renewable energy project, you may want to apply for the 2017 Kathleen A.P. Mathias Agriculture Energy Efficiency Program. The deadline for grant applications is December 15, 2016 11:59 p.m.
The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) administers the Mathias Agriculture Energy Efficient Program (“Mathias Program”) on an annual basis. The grant funding is provided on a competitive basis to farms and/or agricultural businesses. Examples of eligible businesses include, but are not limited to, dairy, orchard, poultry/egg, greenhouse, vegetable, animal, vineyard, grain dryer, processor, sawmill, and aquaculture. If you are uncertain about your eligibility, contact the MEA Program manager, Dean Fisher (410) 537-4068, or call EnSave, an MEA subcontractor supporting the Program, at (800) 732-1399 for guidance on the eligibility requirements.
To be eligible, an applicant needs to implement a project costing at least $20,000 that either:
1) Saves energy through the installation of energy efficiency measures; or
-Grant funding may cover up to 50% of the cost of eligible energy efficiency upgrades.
2) Implements renewable energy measures in conjunction with energy efficiency measures.
–At least 25% of the total award amount for all proposed projects that combine renewable energy and energy efficiency must be for cost-effective energy efficiency measures.
-When applying for renewable energy projects, it is important to consider your utility’s requirements and limitations as well as local laws.
To be eligible the project must be able to be completed by April 1, 2018. There are a variety of evaluation criteria that the MEA considers in awarding the grant to find out more about the criteria, read the program overview.