Mission Statement

The goals of the County Government relating to utility consumption are to:

• achieve energy savings by the elimination of wasteful or inefficient operation of building systems;
• continue improvements in energy efficiency in all County operations; and
• obtain required energy fuels at the most favorable cost to the County.

The Department of General Services manages the payment for over 1,500 separately metered utility accounts for these County facilities, streetlights, and traffic control signalized intersections.

Budget Overview

The total approved FY23 Operating Budget for the Utilities is $22,736,337, a decrease of $980,158 or 4.13 percent from the FY22 Approved Budget of $23,716,495. Allocation of these utilities expenditures is approximately: electricity, 74 percent; natural gas, 10 percent; water and sewer, 10 percent. Renewable energy and other expenses total 6 percent.

The FY23 Approved Budget include County government utilities expenditures for both tax and non-tax supported operations. Tax supported utilities expenditures related to the General Fund departments are budgeted in the Utilities NDA, while utilities expenditures related to special fund departments are budgeted in those funds. Some of these special funds, such as Recreation and portions of the Department of Transportation, are tax supported. Other special funds, such as Solid Waste, are not supported by taxes, but through user fees or charges for services.

Utilities expenditures are also found in the budgets of other County agencies: Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), Montgomery College, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) Water, and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC). The total utilities budget request for these "outside" agencies is $70,918,478 which includes the entire bi-county area of WSSC.

The FY23 Approved tax supported budget for Utilities Management, including both the General Fund NDA ($22,736,337) and the other tax supported funds ($4,604,165), is $27,340,502, an increase of $23,235 or approximately 0.09 percent above the FY22 Approved utilities budget of $27,317,267. The FY23 Approved Budget for non-tax supported utilities expenditures is $4,406,111, an increase of $4,491 from the FY22 Approved Budget of $4,401,620.

Increased utilities expenditures result primarily from greater consumption due to new facilities or services, increased rates, and in some cases a more precise alignment of budgeted costs with actual prior year expenditures by utility type. Energy conservation and cost-saving measures (e.g., new building design, lighting technology, energy, and HVAC management systems) help offset increased utility consumption and higher unit costs. Reductions in energy consumption at County facilities due to telework also contribute to reduced utility expenditures. Renewable energy includes the purchase of credits to offset fossil fuel purchases.

County Priority Outcomes

While this program area supports all eight of the County Result Areas, the following are emphasized:

• A Greener County
• Easier Commutes