BALTIMORE — On Thursday morning, Maryland residents, local leaders, and advocates gathered at Patterson Park to launch the Maryland Clean Heat Coalition, a campaign urging Governor Wes Moore to deliver cleaner air and make energy more affordable by passing the Clean Heat Rules. The event marked the start of a coordinated push, including a $200,000 ad campaign paid for by the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative that will run across streaming, social and digital platforms, spotlighting the urgent need for clean, affordable heating solutions as Maryland families struggle with mounting energy bills and unhealthy air.

Fossil fuel furnaces, boilers and water heaters produce as much smog-forming pollution as all of Maryland’s power plants combined, creating an estimated $1.3 billion in health impacts each year. According to new analysis from the Center for Progressive Reform and Sierra Club Maryland, upgrading Maryland’s low-income households with heat pumps under a Zero Emissions Heating Equipment Standard (ZEHES) could deliver $350 million in energy savings, $145 million in health benefits, and $311 million in climate benefits annually once implemented. At the household level, Maryland residents could save up to $1,500 annually on energy bills by upgrading to a heat pump.

More than 50% of Maryland households have already adopted or are on track to adopt highly efficient heat pumps by 2030. The Clean Heat Standard and the ZEHES, under development by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) at the direction of a 2024 executive order from Gov. Moore, would build on this growing market by accelerating the adoption of zero-emission HVAC technology.

These two rules, known collectively as the Clean Heat Rules, would build on the progress the Moore Administration has already made, including the finalization in late 2024 of the Building Energy Performance Standards, which will encourage efficient heating equipment in large buildings across Maryland. In 2024, Maryland joined a coalition of eight states and the District of Columbia in signing an agreement led by the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM), which sets a shared goal for heat pumps to meet at least 65% of residential-scale heating, air conditioning and water heating sales by 2030 and 90% by 2040 across the participating states. In August, the Maryland Public Service Commission launched a comprehensive review of gas companies’ long-term planning processes to better align their plans with Maryland’s commitment to efficient, electric equipment. 

Below find statements from members of the Maryland Clean Heat Coalition: 

“The Moore administration has set the stage to transform Maryland’s homes and buildings with efficient, clean heat through forward-looking action on stronger building standards and pushing back against reckless gas utility capital spending,” said Anne Havemann, Deputy Director  at Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Maryland can go further to lower peoples’ energy bills and deliver billions in health benefits by accelerating the market for highly efficient heat pumps. We’re ready to work with the Moore administration to make sure all Marylanders reap the health, economic, and climate benefits of efficient, modern home heating equipment.” 

"Businesses and families across Maryland will benefit from clean heat and the widespread adoption of heat pumps," said Jeff Mauk, director, state policy, Ceres. "Highly efficient heat pumps can help Maryland households save up to $1,500 each year on their energy bills. By making it easier than ever to upgrade to efficient electric equipment, the Moore administration can help create new jobs in local communities and improve the cost of living for Maryland families.”

“Maryland’s low-income residents face some of the highest energy burdens in the state because they’re often stuck with inefficient equipment that harms their health,” said Ruth Ann Norton, President and CEO at the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative. “The Moore administration can lower the cost of energy for our most vulnerable residents and invest in healthier, more comfortable homes by finalizing the Clean Heat Rules.”

“Communities of color are exposed to 60% more pollution from gas furnaces than white Marylanders,” said Tony Sirna, Senior Policy Lead at Evergreen Action. “Finalizing the Clean Heat Rules is about protecting our children from asthma, lowering bills for working families and making sure no community is left behind.”

"The Clean Heat rules will equitably deliver lower utility bills, cleaner air and will help Maryland achieve its climate goals," said Josh Tulkin, Executive Director of the Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club. "The rules can equitably benefit low income families who face some of the dirtiest air and the greatest burden of utility costs. With support from available sources of funds that will not strain Maryland's budget, these families can fully benefit from Clean Heat rules. Governor Moore and the Department of the Environment should act quickly to finish the job, finalizing the standards and delivering results for Maryland families."

“Achieving clean heat in Maryland is entirely within reach — and we can do it without affecting the state’s general budget,” said Bryan Dunning, Senior Policy Analyst at the Center for Progressive Reform. “But Maryland needs to act quickly to finalize these rules so that all residents can share in the energy savings, health benefits, and cleaner air they’ll bring.”

"Homes with combustion heating equipment are tiny power plants. Congregate 100s of these homes in dense communities like Langley Park, and air quality feels as bad as living next to industrial sites,” said Jose Coronado-Flores, President, Flores Photovoltaics LLC. “All Marylanders deserve to heat their homes comfortably without sacrificing their long-term health." 

“Air pollution from fossil fuel heating equipment sends people to the ER and shortens lives,” said Frances Stewart, M.D., Vice President of Healthy Climate Maryland. “We can prevent needless illness by ensuring Marylanders have access to zero-emissions heating that cuts pollution inside and outside our homes.”

“Everyone deserves to breathe clean air at home, and to live in neighborhoods free of pollution,” said Joelle Novey, Director of Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA). “Maryland’s faith communities are ‘making sacred haste’ this fall to do everything we can to shift our communities away from fuel-burning and towards clean energy. We call on Governor Moore and the Department of the Environment to follow our lead by finalizing the standards and delivering for everyone in Maryland who breathes.”

“A more affordable Maryland is within reach thanks to the Moore administration’s support for Clean Heat Rules,” said Brian Jenkins, Senior Regional Manager, Mid-Atlantic at Building Decarbonization Coalition. “By implementing these rules and working alongside policymakers, advocates, and a growing clean energy workforce, Maryland can upgrade homes with highly efficient heat pumps that deliver long-term energy savings and slash health-harming air pollution. Today’s launch of the Maryland Clean Heat Coalition shows the widespread support Clean Heat Rules enjoy and the urgent need to get them finalized.”

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