Hyattsville workshop offers homeowners energy savings and grant help

Hyattsville homeowners trying to tame rising utility bills will get a direct look at county and utility money available for upgrades when Triple Line Studio holds a Creative Thinking workshop June 6 at Art Works Now. The session is meant to help residents plan energy-efficiency projects, from air sealing and insulation to other home improvements that can lower monthly costs.

The workshop will be held at Art Works Now, 4800 Rhode Island Avenue, Suite 1, Hyattsville, MD 20781. The venue says it is ADA accessible, a detail that matters for older homeowners and anyone who needs an easier-to-navigate public space while sorting through renovation options and grant applications.

The timing lines up with Prince George’s County’s Clean Energy Program, which offers residential energy-efficiency grants of up to $6,250, in addition to Pepco and Washington Gas incentives. County guidance says up to 60% of the grant award can go toward air sealing and insulation, and residents may be able to combine county grant dollars with utility incentives. But the money is not automatic: homeowners must meet program requirements to receive funds, which means households still have to clear eligibility rules before they can tap the aid.

That access question sits at the center of the workshop’s appeal. Triple Line Studio says its Creative Thinking Workshops have received county and city grant funding as an ongoing series for small businesses, nonprofits and homeowners working on renovation projects. A previous homeowner-focused session offered funding resources and advice for greening older houses. The studio says its earlier workshop for small businesses and nonprofits, supported in part by the City of Hyattsville, helped more than 30 local businesses and nonprofits address building challenges.

Other help is available for qualifying homeowners who need work done but cannot pay for it themselves. Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland offers free weatherization services to income-qualified homeowners in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, including air sealing, insulation, duct sealing, Energy Star-certified appliances, and HVAC repairs and upgrades.

The workshop arrives as Prince George’s County continues to put money behind energy retrofits. County officials recently announced $750,000 for whole-home and building energy-efficiency retrofits and another $649,722 for solar technologies, signaling that the county’s push for lower energy use is still backed by public dollars.