Green Buildings Victory

PATH and Electrify HoCo leaders at the Council vote on July 7.

On Monday night, July 7, the Howard County Council voted to amend the building code to help transition buildings to clean, efficient electric energy! Congratulations to our PATH leaders and partners from Electrify HoCo who organized for this victory!

This new legislation will help protect our climate and residents’ health by helping move buildings away from fossil fuel gas and toward clean, electric energy. Our partners in the Maryland Just Power Alliance have shown that many homes in Maryland have unhealthy levels of NO2 gas from gas stoves, which leads to asthma (see the report here). Requiring new buildings to have the capacity to switch fully electric energy is an important step in the right direction for cleaner air.

Howard County is now the first county in Maryland to require new buildings to meet the efficiency standards of the International Energy Conservation Code. New buildings must also be wired so they are ready to easily convert to electric heating and appliances if the owner chooses to, as well as being ready to add solar panels and electric vehicle chargers.

PATH leaders attended County Council meetings and wrote emails to their Councilmembers in support of the green building policy.

PATH leader Betsy Singer shared, “When I watched the announcement of the final Council vote, I realized that all the people power that PATH and the Electrify Howard campaign energized, made us succeed in this win for clean energy.  Relief at the outcome soon became real joy at our success for and with the people of Howard County!”