As families across our state struggle to find ways to pay their energy bills, today, we will gather at the home of Richard and Sonja Lowery in Silver Spring to formally announce Maryland's first steps in expanding our home weatherization program, designed to benefit thousands of low-income families throughout the state.  We'll conduct a home energy efficiency audit, and we'll make the necessary improvements to the home at no expense to the Lowery's, thanks to funding from President Obama's Recovery and Reinvestment Act that allows us to more than double the amount of families we can service through our home weatherization program.

These audits may seem trivial on an individual basis, but the fact is families could save between $300 and $400 per year with simple energy efficiency improvements.  If every household in the state of Maryland swapped out one incandescent light bulb for a compact florescent bulb, for example, it would save enough energy to power over 6,300 homes for one full year.

Families must qualify for the program, so I encourage Marylanders to seek more information through their local energy office by calling 1-800-332-6347 or through Maryland's Office of Home Energy Programs.

Through our EmPOWER Maryland initiative, we'll reduce energy consumption 15 percent by 2015 and achieve the more sustainable future we all prefer.

Martin O'Malley
Governor