A Hyattsville architect will lead a workshop in May on how to “green” your historic home.

Rayya Newman, owner of Triple Line Studio, has been carefully renovating a 1905 Victorian she and her husband, Adam, bought in 2016.

Over the years, she’s learned a lot about how to use tax credits, grants and other incentives to restore a historic home and make it more environmentally sound — even adding a geothermal heating system.

“The key is timing,” she told the Hyattsville Wire. “Usually a house project is urgent, or overwhelming, or both.”

At the workshop, Newman will share tips such as how she tracks the typical lifespan of all of her appliances, roof and other household fixtures, plans ahead for a replacement and then gets preapproval from the Maryland Historical Trust, which allows her to get a tax credit when the time comes.

Another example is the EmPOWER program in Maryland, which offers rebates and incentives to homeowners who complete an energy audit.

The workshop, which costs $15, will feature representatives on historic preservation, electrification and stormwater from the Maryland Historical Trust, the Chesapeake Bay Trust, and Rewiring America.

There will also be a free mini-expo to talk with local contractors who specialize in historic homes, architects and related nonprofits as well as kids activities such as building a birdfeeder and solar-powered car.

The workshop and expo will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 4, at the pavilion at Bladensburg Waterfront Park. You can register for the workshop here.

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