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SB 818

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2025 Regular Session Introduced by Barbara Favola

Requires counties to collect standardized school building energy data and report to the IAC; IAC will set data rules, analyze submissions, and issue efficiency recommendations.

Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0354)
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Bill Summary · SB 818

SB 818 — Education — School Building Energy Usage — Monthly Report

Status: Hearing scheduled 2/21 (committee); Introduced 2025
Effect date (bill text): July 1, 2025

Main purpose

Require local school systems to collect standardized data on school building energy use and report that data to the Interagency Commission on School Construction (IAC). The IAC will adopt regulations defining what data to collect, how and how often to report it, analyze the submissions, and provide recommendations to improve school building energy efficiency and usage.

Key provisions

  • Each county board of education must:

    • Collect data on energy usage for school buildings.
    • Report the collected data to the Interagency Commission on School Construction (IAC).

  • Interagency Commission on School Construction (IAC) must:

    • Adopt regulations specifying the precise data elements to be collected and the means and frequency of reporting (the bill does not itself list monthly as mandatory — frequency is set by IAC regs).
    • Analyze the data submitted by county boards.
    • Provide recommendations to county boards for improving school building energy efficiency and energy usage practices.

  • Effective date: July 1, 2025.

Who is affected

  • Directly:

    • County boards of education / local school systems (responsible for collecting and reporting energy data).
    • Interagency Commission on School Construction (responsible for rulemaking, analysis, and guidance).

  • Indirectly:

    • Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) and state grant programs (may be leveraged for technical support).
    • Students, school staff, local taxpayers and state policymakers (through potential efficiency improvements and cost savings).

Relationship to existing law

  • Builds on Chapter 608 (2021), which already requires local school systems to adopt or update district energy policies and encouraged standardized reporting; Chapter 608 directed IAC and MEA to coordinate a standardized reporting template. SB 818 makes data collection and reporting to IAC statutory and requires IAC rulemaking and analysis.

Fiscal and operational impact

  • State: IAC can adopt regulations, collect/analyze data, and provide recommendations using existing resources — no revenue impact reported.
  • Local: Local school systems are likely able to collect and report the required energy-use data using existing resources (energy management software or utility data). The fiscal note anticipates minimal, absorbable administrative burden for most districts.
  • Overall: Expected to impose modest administrative duties but no identified significant new recurring costs.

Implementation / timeline notes

  • Regulatory detail (including reporting frequency, formats, and specific metrics) will be established by IAC regulations; although the bill’s title indicates “Monthly Report,” the bill text delegates the reporting frequency to the IAC.
  • Effective July 1, 2025 — counties and the IAC should plan near-term rulemaking and data-gathering workflows.
  • Purpose: enable statewide analysis and targeted recommendations to reduce energy use, improve efficiency, and inform capital and operational planning for school facilities.

Potential impacts / benefits

  • Better, standardized data to inform energy-efficiency investments and operations across school portfolios.
  • Potential long‑term reductions in energy costs, greenhouse gas emissions, and improved budgeting for maintenance and capital projects.
  • Greater state-level visibility into school energy performance to prioritize technical assistance and grant funding.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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