A battery proposal for your Maryland building? Read the owner commitments.

Check the funding claim before agreeing to work

The Maryland Energy Administration’s current Resilient Maryland page says FY26 applications are closed. Its notice anticipating FY27 programs is not confirmation that a new application round is open.

If a proposal depends on this program, request the relevant year, application or award record, and grant agreement if one has been signed. Ask who receives the money and which work it supports. A possible grant should have a different place in the budget from committed funding.

Keep funding separate from the offer to you. Does the arrangement pay property rent, reduce a tenant’s costs, or require you to contribute toward equipment? Request the amount you would actually pay or receive, with the timing and conditions attached.

Reference: Maryland Energy Administration: current Resilient Maryland program status

Read a tenant’s owner-consent request carefully

The linked FY26 rules require a leased-facility applicant to supply owner concurrence. That includes keeping the upgrades installed and operational for their remaining economic life despite tenant turnover.

Ask which equipment that commitment covers and how its economic life would be determined. Would it last beyond the tenant’s present lease? Have the project team explain the proposed term alongside the building lease and service agreement.

Picture the tenant leaving before the equipment reaches the end of that term. Who keeps it running, pays for maintenance and deals with a fault? Would the next occupant need to accept the same operating arrangement? These questions should be settled before your signature is requested.

Discuss a possible property sale, redevelopment or change of use as well. Ask which documents a buyer would inherit, what consent a change would require and what happens if the equipment no longer suits the building. Keep a copy of every undertaking attached to the proposal.

Reference: Maryland Energy Administration: linked FY26 funding rules, including property-owner concurrence

Name the costs that continue after installation

The FY26 rules exclude property acquisition and routine maintenance or repairs of existing infrastructure. The grant should not be treated as the budget for every property cost.

Ask for separate estimates for construction, recurring service, insurance, testing and eventual replacement or removal. Identify who pays each bill and which amounts can increase. If a tenant is expected to pay, ask what happens if that tenant stops paying or leaves.

Have the team explain which company owns the batteries and other improvements. Are you buying them, hosting another party’s assets, or paying for a service? Ask how warranties, service coverage and replacement costs fit the ownership arrangement.

If savings are used to justify your contribution, request the assumptions and the recipient of those savings. A tenant paying the electric bill may receive a benefit that does not automatically reach the landlord. Compare your own costs and commitments with your own benefits.

Reference: Maryland Energy Administration: linked FY26 funding rules, including property-owner concurrence

Define the building service being promised

Ask what must remain available during an outage: refrigeration, lighting, a pump, communications, heating or cooling. Name the services that matter to the occupants before accepting a general promise of backup power.

Request a short operating description that names the equipment supplied, the expected duration and the assumptions behind it. Which areas would have power and which would not? What should building users do if stored energy runs out or the system needs attention?

Ask who decides how the battery is used in ordinary operation and what reserve is kept for an outage. If it also earns revenue through another arrangement, have the operator explain how that use affects the backup commitment.

Give the team information about existing generators, tenant equipment and planned building changes. Ask the designer to address compatibility and future demand. A battery installation should be evaluated as part of the working property, not only as an isolated equipment purchase.

If a community hub is proposed, discuss access and staffing

The FY26 hub provisions include access for the surrounding community during outages. That is a distinct commitment from powering only the current tenant’s premises.

Ask where people would enter, which rooms would be available and who would staff them. Consider parking, accessible routes, restrooms, building security and the separation of private tenant space from public areas.

Decide who pays for opening the building outside normal hours and who coordinates with occupants. Ask for a written responsibility list covering the property owner, facility manager, project operator and organization serving the community.

If the offer calls the property a hub, request the actual program requirements and design. Do not assume a solar-and-battery installation makes every building an eligible hub, or that the equipment budget explains how the facility would operate during an emergency.

Reference: Maryland Energy Administration: linked FY26 funding rules, including property-owner concurrence

Keep preliminary work separate from a funded installation

The FY26 rules separate planning support from equipment and construction funding. They also restrict expenses incurred before an executed grant agreement unless the agency agrees otherwise in writing.

Before authorizing spending, ask what has been committed and who carries the cost if reimbursement does not occur. Would you owe a consultant, installer or service provider even if the grant is unavailable?

Set boundaries for site visits and surveys: notice, access, work scope, repair and an end date. For installation, request the complete site layout, including equipment pads, roof or canopy work, cable routes and space needed during construction.

Ask how the developer or operator would release rights and restore the property if the project stops before completion. If equipment is installed, coordinate the removal terms with any continuing grant or owner commitments. The agreement should explain both stages.

Reference: Maryland Energy Administration: linked FY26 funding rules, including property-owner concurrence

Tell Sunland what property and proposal you have

Send your contact details and the Maryland property location using the form. Acreage and a parcel number can be added if known; neither is needed to start.

Mention whether the property is occupied, whether a tenant has requested equipment, and whether the proposal involves land rent, backup power or a grant. Describe any building use or access you need to preserve.

We can review the information and identify the next questions about the property opportunity. An inquiry does not apply for a grant, promise program eligibility or authorize entry, installation or a utility filing.