🔌 MEC Partner Newsletter, May 2022: Connecting You to All Things Energy 💡

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MEC Partner Newsletter

The Montgomery Energy Connection (MEC) Partner network consists of more than 70 County agencies, local organizations, and businesses.

The MEC Partner network brings together businesses and organizations to promote the important and pressing goal of reducing energy use and achieving a carbon-free future.

Wednesday, May 11, 2022 | Montgomery Energy Connection

busy

Phew - we have been busy since the last time you received an email in February.  Since then, the Energy Ambassadors, the Senior Planet Montgomery Team and myself have attend over 50 events throughout the County - in person and virtual. Not only that but we have  recycled over 2000 lightbulbs since February 1, 2022!

Please check out the rest of the newsletter to find out more about how you can connect energy to the work you are doing. At the end of every section, there is a 🔌CONNECTING TO YOU piece where we give you ways to make that connection in your work.   

Don't forget to let me know if there is something you are doing that we can promote through this newsletter, feel free to email me at: 
larissa.johnson@montgomerycountymd.gov 


SAVE THE DATE: Next MEC Partner Meeting

save the date

Please mark your calendar for Thursday, June 23, 2022 from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm. Not sure if this will be in person or via Zoom so keep the date and time open. This is a great opportunity to chat with others in the County about all things energy! It is a super fun time! 


Encourage Residents to Switch to LEDs

lightbulb exchange

If we were to ask residents to do one thing to lower their energy bills, it would be to swap to LEDs. As noted in the first paragraph, we have swapped out a lot of bulbs, in fact, since July 1, 2021 - we have swapped out more than 8000 bulbs.

Lightbulb exchanges seem to be a super fun way to engage with the community and since lighting accounts for 10% of our total electricity bill, making the swap is a great way to help residents lower their energy costs! 

🔌CONNECTING TO YOU: If you have an upcoming event, please let me know - we would love to make sure residents have the opportunity to swap out those old incandescent and compact fluorescent bulbs.


Do You Have Great Ideas to Help Protect Our Environment?

Ballot Box

Through the Climate Action Plan, the County is hoping to lower the impact of climate change. There have been a group of County employees working behind the scenes to try to figure out the best way to promote the actions in the Climate Action Plan. And we have decided to get input from the public. Since April, we have been asking people to send us words, phrases or a sentence that will inspire their neighbors to take action on simple climate solutions - this has been both virtually and in person as you can see by the ballot boxes. 

🔌CONNECTING TO YOU: Could you please promote this CALL TO ACTION in your newsletters and in your social media posts. If you happen to meet with residents, you can also have them fill out the form online, 


Help Promote the EV Purchasing Co-op

EVcoop

Hopefully you have heard that Montgomery County is leading the charge on electric vehicles! The Pilot Phase of the Montgomery County Electric Vehicle Purchasing Cooperative (EVPC) is 90% of the way to meeting our pledge goal and we would love your help to get people to  sign the EVPC’s online pledge to make your next car an EV

🔌CONNECTING TO YOU: Please promote this pilot in your newsletters, websites, and on social media, here is some sample language from the new Zero Emissions Vehicles (ZEV) Coordinator, Brian Booher, please contact him with any questions. 

  • Taking the pledge sends a strong signal that Montgomery County is committed to clean transportation. Residents and businesses that sign the pledge help demonstrate consumer demand for EVs, which the County can leverage to organize test drives and educational events, plan charging infrastructure investment, and negotiate purchase incentives for EVs. Find out more at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/zev.
  • Do you already drive electric, or have you signed the pledge? Share your leadership on social media with the hashtags #MCEVPC #LeadTheEVCharge

Round 2: Capital Area Solar Co-op

Capital Area interest

Round 2 of the Capital Area Solar Co-op launched on Friday, April 1, 2022 and will run until Tuesday, August 30, 2022 – during that time, we will have virtual info sessions and in person events to help answer solar questions. 

The Capital Area Solar Co-op is an opportunity for all of the areas around the DC metro area to promote solar that the same time and while it is NOT a competition, Virginia always seems to be ahead of us when it comes to co-op membership. 

🔌CONNECTING TO YOU: Please help us get more members than Virginia this year by promoting the Capital Area Solar Co-op, there is a toolkit with images and everything to help you get the word out. If you need anything in particular, please email me. 


Instagram Partner Spotlight

instagram

Did you know that Montgomery Energy Connection only has an Instagram page? It was a deliberate decision based on our research and bandwidth. Here is an interesting article to help you determine which social media platforms you use for which campaign and for which age demographic.

We have over 450 followers on Instagram page and our REELS have been the most successful, two of which have racked up over 10K views each (that is a lot!!!)

Since the beginning of the year, we have been spotlighting different partners at the beginning of every month to promote the work that you are doing and to show that energy crosses into other facets of our lives, so far we have spotlighted: 

🔌CONNECTING TO YOU: Please like us on Instagram and tag us whenever you can @MCEnergyConnection. Additionally, we would love to spotlight your organization, is there a specific month that would be ideal for you? Please let me know and we can make it happen! 


New OHEP program year starts July 1, 2022

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The Office of Home Energy Programs (OHEP) provides bill assistance to low-income households in Montgomery County to make their energy costs more affordable and to help with the prevention of loss and the restoration of home energy service. OHEP's new program year will begin accepting applications on July 1, 2022.

🔌CONNECTING TO YOU: Promote this program with residents in your outreach materials and check out the OPC energy assistance toolkit which includes a step-by-step guide and video to help residents keep their power on. 


The Power of the Ad

SOS

Advertising has the power to create awareness, the power to set the agenda, the power to suggest and influence, the power to convey new information, and the power to persuade.

Advertising has short-term power (conveying new information, building awareness, enhancing credibility, etc.) and long-term power (conveying brand image, attaching emotional values to the brand, building positive reputation, etc.). 

We provided ads in the Source of the Spring for a year and we were able to receive 618,193 impressions which yielded 3,462 clicks - is that a great amount? Who knows! Were we able to reach a new audience - yes! Was it super expensive - no! So why not try it yourself! 

🔌CONNECTING TO YOU: If you are interested in posting ads in newspapers, online platforms, or elsewhere, please let us know, we may be able to help!


Help Us Help You to Help Us Help Residents

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The goal of Montgomery Energy Connection is to be the link for residents to understand energy savings. We do this by providing tips and resources and sometimes we do it in fun, cheeky ways like with Brews and Bulbs or LEDs and Libations. Or sometimes we do it with informative, interactive presentations for all ages like Energy Express. But the only way we can do any of these programs is with partners like YOU so let me know how we can help you get the message out about the great work you are doing. Everything is interconnected - all we have to do is figure out the link! 

🔌CONNECTING TO YOU: Let us know if there is any way we can partner with you on an upcoming program or initiative - we are here to help! And don't forget about the Toolkit with monthly updates and information. 


Download the Toolkit

As a Montgomery Energy Connection partner, you will have the ability to meet with other members through the real time Partner Events (Save the Date for Thursday, June 23, 2022 from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm). Additionally, we provide the following: