The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) has extended the rebate program for wood and pellet stoves indefinitely and increased the rebate amounts to $500 for wood stoves and $700 for pellet stoves.
In 2011, Delegate Heather Mizeur introduced legislation providing rebates for homeowners in order to purchase wood and pellet stoves that heat their homes. Mizeur worked with the MEA to secure $50,000 for Maryland’s first Biomass Heating Pilot Program. The program’s extension ensures biomass will be a critical part of our state’s clean energy future.
Initial data from the program shows that Marylanders are eager to utilize these grants to purchase cleaner energy resources, and homeowners will quickly see long-term savings. Pellet stoves can save consumers anywhere from $400 to $800 in heating costs annually.
“Maryland has been a leader in renewable energy production, but there is so much more for us to do,” Mizeur said. “This is great validation of our continued commitment to shift the way we produce energy.”
“This program allows rural Marylanders to spend locally on heating while using affordable, renewable energy,” said John Ackerly, President of The Alliance for Green Heat. “This program makes Maryland a national leader in embracing the renewable energy favored by rural working families,” said Ackerly.
The rebates are only offered to homes that heat with oil, propane or electricity, which targets families that face the highest winter heating costs in some of the state’s least affluent counties. It also only makes the cleanest wood and pellet stoves eligible for rebates.
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