Baltimore— Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) residential electric customer bills were down 25 percent on average this winter compared to winter bills from two years ago. This translates to an average customer savings of $72 per month during this past winter. Customers also used less electricity this winter through February thanks to mild weather, participation in energy efficiency programs, and by managing their energy use with detailed, real-time information provided by smart meters.
Lower commodity prices, which are set by global markets, are also a significant factor. In addition to the savings created by efficiency and lower commodity costs, beginning this month
BGE residential electric customers’ bills also will be additionally reduced by an average of $5.47 with BGE’s retirement of long-term bonds used to fund past power purchase costs. The
average BGE residential customer’s total monthly bill remains lower than 2008 levels.
“Partnering with our customers so they can manage their monthly usage to have greater control of the cost of their electric service is a win-win. Lower usage contributes to lower bills and
helps us meet our efficiency goals while also benefiting the environment,” said Rob Biagiotti, vice president and chief customer officer for BGE. “At the same time, we are also investing more
than ever in equipment upgrades and maintenance to better serve our customers with quality electric power and safe, reliable natural gas. This has resulted in significant improvements in
reliability for our customers.”
In 2016, the average number of electric service interruptions was the fourth lowest rate in BGE’s history, and when customers did experience an outage, BGE restored power faster than ever
before. The average length of a service interruption has been reduced by 49 minutes over the last five years.