Building a Better Maryland
Healthy, Efficient, & Affordable
We all deserve affordable energy bills, clean air, and to stay safe and comfortable at home, school, and work – and this is possible, even amid extreme weather and unpredictable spikes in energy costs. Our homes and buildings weren’t built for the climate crisis, but our ability to withstand it requires them to be.
The Better Buildings Act ensures that the communities we build today are prepared to withstand the challenges of tomorrow. It does so by requiring new homes and buildings to incorporate the most energy-efficient equipment, safety standards, clean air equipment, and effective insulation. By building smart from the start, we can provide lasting cost savings, health benefits, and climate resilience to generations of residents at the same cost to build.
About the Better Buildings Act
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Summary of the Bill
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One-Page Fact Sheet
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Talking Points for Advocates
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Tell your Maryland lawmakers: Pass the Better Buildings Act!
3 Reasons Why We Need To Pass The Better Buildings Act:
1: BETTER FOR YOUR WALLET
We can build better buildings equipped with the latest efficiency measures and clean energy technologies for the same price – if not less – than older building methods.
With today’s technology, units built to the highest energy efficiency standards can be built at no extra cost, or with minimal extra cost, compared to conventional buildings that will end up costing their residents thousands of dollars more to heat and cool.
The Better Buildings Act will stabilize energy bills even amid increasingly unpredictable energy prices.
Electric heat pumps use 29% less electricity on average during periods of peak demand than central ACs, and remain up to three times more efficient than gas furnaces in winter weather.
Across Maryland, 98% of households can save money on their monthly energy bills by adopting high-efficiency electric appliances in place of fossil fuel heating equipment.
The median low-income household in Maryland would save $373 per year by replacing a gas furnace with a heat pump.
The Better Buildings Act will provide cleaner air indoor and out, boosting public health and saving lives.
Indoors, gas appliances emit a range of pollutants harmful to our health. Children who grow up in a home with a gas stove are 42% more likely to develop asthma symptoms.
Buildings emit more than three times as much health-harming nitrogen oxides (NOx) as Maryland’s power plants thanks to fossil fuel HVAC equipment. NOx pollution from burning fossil fuels in residential, commercial, and institutional buildings has increased every year from 2017 – 2023.
2: BETTER FOR YOUR HEALTH
3: BETTER FOR YOUR LIFE
Homes that utilize advanced energy efficiency can maintain safer, more habitable conditions during extended blackouts or interruptions in fuel deliveries.
Extreme heat is becoming increasingly common in Maryland. In Baltimore, the average number of days over 90° F could more than double by the 2060s.
But thankfully, improving efficiency in residential buildings can save lives during extreme heat and cold events.
Take Action To Help Pass The Better Buildings Act
Send a message to your Maryland legislators!
Fill out the form below and it will direct you to a sample letter to send to YOUR state senator and delegates. Please feel free to personalize!