The cold winter months and the rising cost of energy means making the impossible choice between necessities such as rent, food, or home heating for some of our families. To help alleviate some of this hardship, our City has partnered with Constellation Energy and Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) to create a program that will provide new energy-efficient furnaces to low income families.    An efficient furnace means lower bills during the winter months for the families that receive this assistance.  With smaller home heating bills, these families will have a significant burden lifted from their shoulders now and in the future.
 
Yesterday, I was joined by city agency heads and business leaders to announce a $1 million donation by Constellation Energy to the Baltimore Community Foundation which established the BGE Heating System Fund. 
 
The City has obtained $15.7 million in stimulus funding to weatherize low income homes, but that money cannot be used for furnace replacements.  BGE has an existing program to replace furnaces in the lowest income homes, but now with Constellation's help, every home that qualifies for Weatherization Assistance can obtain a new energy efficient furnace when needed.
 
This donation is also supporting a new campaign to spread the word and better educate city residents about energy conservation.  The "Rap the Gap" contest will encourage students in participating public high schools to compete in a song-writing contest to spread the word on how families can lower their energy consumption.
 
The contest was dreamed up by high school Mayoral Fellow QueQuerra Johnson and developed through a partnership of the City of Baltimore, the Baltimore City Public School System and the CollegeBound Foundation.  The winner will receive a $12,000 college scholarship. For more information about this program, contact Suzanne Sangree at 410-396-3249 or suzanne.sangree@baltimorecity.gov. 
 
Constellation has a long history of philanthropy to the City of Baltimore.  Most recently they have established the Baltimore Neighborhood Energy Challenge in partnership with our Office of Sustainability and supported our Tree Baltimore campaign.  The BGE Heating System Fund is yet another example of this partnership and how we all can work together to ensure everyone, regardless of income or neighborhood, has access to the tools they need to be prosperous now and in the future.  Each of us-government, faith, community, and corporate stakeholders-has a responsibility to our neighbors.