Rebate Program Helps Residents Save

Almost everyone is trying to save money on the upkeep of their DC Metro home.  Below is information I received about a rebate program that will improve your home’s comfort and value while it saves you money on energy usage.  I’m happy to share this information with you and hope you’ll take advantage of this great program!

Montgomery County Residential Energy Efficiency Rebate Program

Interested in upgrading your home to improve comfort, reduce energy costs and even boost long term home value? Montgomery County, using a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, will be offering a one-time program to help you pay for the costs of these improvements.

The Montgomery County Residential Energy Efficiency Rebate Program offers incentives to homeowners for energy efficiency improvements such as insulation, heating and cooling systems, and appliances. Owners of single family properties and condominiums can apply for up to $3,000 of funding per applicant. The minimum rebate size is $500 (typically a $2,000 to $3,000 project).

In order to be eligible, each applicant must have an energy audit from an auditor participating in the Maryland Home Performance with ENERGY STAR or a utility (e.g., Pepco, BG&E, Potomac Edison) audit program.

Homeowners are also encouraged to use these funds in concert with other incentives available from utilities, the Maryland Energy Administration and others.

Detailed information on the program, audit requirements, as well as links to other sources of funding is located on this website. Interested homeowners will also apply to the program online via the website. Real time information on the funding availability is posted on the program website.

 

Contact me, Mynor Herrera, today for expert help buying or selling in the DC, MD, & VA areas! I also specialize in Bethesda and Chevy Chase, as well as the sub-divisions of Rosemary Hills, Rock Creek Forest, East Bethesda & Whitehall Condominium.

Silver Spring Neighbors Save Energy and Money

People in the DC Metro area know the importance and value of energy conservation. Recently, seven families in Silver Spring got together to save energy—and saved themselves some money in the process.

It started with one local couple attending a Takoma Park meeting about energy conservation, which got them really motivated to weatherize their home. They thought it was such an important idea that they checked a neighborhood listserv and contacted their Fairview Court neighbors, inviting them to a meeting at their home to hear more.  Also attending the meeting was WeatherizeDC, a local nonprofit that helps people with home weatherization.

Of the 13 townhouse residents who attended the meeting, seven families decided to have their homes weatherized.  Because they signed up as a group, the families also received a 15 percent discount on the work.  WeatherizeDC got quotes from local businesses and the Fairview Court folks chose Continuum Energy Solutions, a company based in Alexandria.

Each of the Silver Spring homeowners had specific needs, but one common fix was installing insulation as well as closing up cracks in walls and ceilings. These small improvements keep a house cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

Amazingly, this was the first time WeatherizeDC had ever worked with a group of homeowners, but things progressed with no issues and work on all the homes will be finished sometime in early September.  The average cost for each home’s weatherization was about $3,000, which the families will probably make up just in their first winter’s lower heating bills. Overall, they’ll be saving 15 to 25 percent on their energy bills.

So if you’re thinking of weatherizing your home, check to see if your neighbors are also considering it. If you’re a close-knit neighborhood, you might be able to join to together like the Silver Spring families and get a group discount on the work.  Sometimes there’s safety—and savings—in numbers.

Folks in the DC area are great citizens of the earth as well as wonderful neighbors and friends. Come and live among some really fantastic people! Contact me, Mynor Herrera, today for expert help buying or selling in the DC, MD, & VA areas! I also specialize in Bethesda and Chevy Chase, as well as the sub-divisions of Rosemary Hills, Rock Creek Forest, East Bethesda & Whitehall Condominium.

♫ The Farmers in DC, The Farmers in DC…

Most people associate the DC area with the White House, monuments, and thriving modern cities like Bethesda and Chevy Chase. Yet there is another personality to this area—a rural persona with farmers and landowners that is flourishing in its own right.

For those that want to try their hand at farming, the Montgomery Countryside Alliance now has a web site to match aspiring farmers with those who have an excess of land they want to rent, sell, or offer for use so they don’t have to mow or otherwise care for it. 

The site is called Land Link Montgomery, and it’s been described by users as an agricultural “online dating service.” A low $20 site registration fee helps farmers and landowners to connect with each other and work out an arrangement for use of the land. This in turn helps meet the demand for locally grown food.

Aspiring Bethesda farmers generally cannot afford to buy their own land, at least at the outset, so this program gives them a place to try out the experience without having to go deeply in debt while they learn. It’s modeled after similar programs in Vermont and Pennsylvania.

One couple used Land Link to set up their starter farm with a five-year lease.  In addition to growing flowers, vegetables and herbs, they are also raising animals on the livestock conservancy list such as heritage breeds of chickens, turkeys, cows, pigs and meat rabbits. The meat and produce are sold to local restaurants and to members of a community-supported agriculture program. Another enterprising person leased land and set up a program where developmentally disabled adults learn about farming.

Most of the landowners are thrilled to have someone working their land, although many stipulate that herbicides and pesticides cannot be used. The program is a win-win-win for everyone: would-be farmers, land owners, and the community that benefits from the land’s bounty.

Whether you prefer the bustling city life of Bethesda or the quiet contentment of the country, the DC area has a home for you. Contact me, Mynor Herrera, today for expert help buying or selling in the DC, MD, & VA areas! I also specialize in Bethesda and Chevy Chase, as well as the sub-divisions of Rosemary Hills, Rock Creek Forest, East Bethesda & Whitehall Condominium.

Biking Beckons in Bethesda (Say It Three Times Fast!)

Everyone knows that Bethesda is a great place for walking, with a Walkability Score of 50. Very soon it will be just as easy to bike around Bethesda, too, says Gazette.net. A bikeshare program is on tap for the downtown area, and the search for funding has begun.

This program, modeled after the one in Washington, DC would create a very green alternative form of transportation for Bethesda residents. Once registered for the bikeshare program, you are allowed to take a bike from a dock, ride to your destination, and return the bike either to its original dock or to any other dock in the city.

The ultimate goal is to give people easy and inexpensive access to bikes, reducing the number of cars on the road as well as the pollution they create.  Reducing automobile traffic will be a very big deal in September when Bethesda’s National Navy Medical Center becomes home to all former Walter Reed patients.

Depending on the number of docks and bikes offered, the costs of the bikeshare program could top out at $300,000.  Some of this will come from state funding, but program officials are also looking to the private sector for help.  Some of their very creative ideas include having local companies sponsor a bike station in exchange for placing ads at the stations or on the bikes. Developers could pay to have a bike station in front of a new building, which would reduce potential traffic issues the building might create.

Bethesda is an area that already takes biking seriously, and many local employers offer allowances for bike equipment as well as showers for their employee bikers.  The bikeshare program would simply extend the opportunity for biking to more residents, with the added benefit of reduced traffic and pollution.

With so many alternatives for getting around to stores, restaurants or your job, Bethesda is one of the most convenient places to live in the DC area.  If you want to experience these benefits, contact me, Mynor Herrera, today for expert help buying or selling in the DC, MD, & VA areas! I also specialize in Bethesda and Chevy Chase, as well as the sub-divisions of Rosemary Hills, Rock Creek Forest, East Bethesda & Whitehall Condominium.

Lessons Beyond the Stage at Bethesda Theatre Camp

Shakespeare said “All the world’s a stage,” and kids in a local Bethesda summer camp are learning just how true that is! Since 1981, Adventure Theatre’s Musical Summer Camp at Glen Echo Park has been teaching children ages 6 to 15 not only skills for the stage but also for life, says Gazette.net.

One of the basic tenets of this camp is that you must work as a team with other campers and not “hog the spotlight,” according to Education and Outreach Director Kathryn Hnatio. They keep stress low by using an informal audition process where casting is often based more on enthusiasm than experience, but kids with training do get to show their stuff.

Each group of campers has only two weeks to move through a series of rehearsal blocks for singing, dancing, acting and costume preparation, yet the final shows they present are always fantastic. This is due in large part to the 10-to-1 student teacher ratio at the camp, which means lots of individual coaching and support.

But Summer Program Manager Mallory Shear and her teachers also offer their 80 campers the opportunity to develop essential life skills such as teamwork, public speaking, and confidence in themselves, and these are the successes that mean the most to the team, says Shear. Kids are taught to support fellow cast members both on and off the stage, that even small parts are important, and that you can take your role beyond what the script dictates. Important life lessons indeed.

This year the campers are performing the following four plays: “The Frog Prince,” “Annie Jr.,” “Snow White” and “Camp Rock the Musical.” All performances take place at Glen Echo Park and are free to the public. And there are still spots available for two August camp sessions from August 1-12 and August 15-26. For more information on show times and camp costs, check out Adventure Theatre’s website.

Bethesda is a place rich with culture for both the adults and children who live here. Wouldn’t you like to make it the home stage for your world? If so, contact me, Mynor Herrera, today for expert help buying or selling in the DC, MD, & VA areas! I also specialize in Bethesda and Chevy Chase, as well as the sub-divisions of Rosemary Hills, Rock Creek Forest, East Bethesda & Whitehall Condominium.