BGE Residential Customers’ Winter Electric Bills 25 Percent Lower
Reduced rates, energy conservation and mild weather are leading to
significant savings while electric service reliability continues to
improve for customers
BALTIMORE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–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.
Customers can maximize their savings opportunities through BGE’s Smart
Energy Savers Program® at BGEsmartenergy.com
which offers rebates on efficiency measures and information on ways to
reduce energy use. Rebates and discounts on energy-saving products such
as appliances, HVAC systems and LED lightbulbs are available through the
program. Since its launch in 2009, customers have purchased more than 25
million energy-saving LED and CFL light bulbs, saving nearly $40 million
at checkout with instant discounts and enough electricity to light more
than 117,000 homes for a year.
BGE customers have also scheduled more than 200,000 Quick Home Energy
Check-ups, which help identify solutions to save energy and money.
Through the Check-ups, customers have saved nearly 110,000
megawatt-hours of electricity. The BGE Smart Energy Savers Program
supports EmPOWER Maryland Energy Efficiency Act.
BGE,
founded in 1816 as the nation’s first gas utility, is Maryland’s largest
natural gas and electric utility. Headquartered in Baltimore, BGE
delivers power to more than 1.25 million electric customers and more
than 650,000 natural gas customers in central Maryland. The company’s
approximately 3,200 employees are committed to the safe and reliable
delivery of natural gas and electricity, as well as enhanced energy
management, conservation, environmental stewardship and community
assistance. The company also has an estimated annual economic impact of
$5 billion of output in its service area, supporting more than 9,500
local jobs and producing $923 million in labor income. BGE is a
subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation’s leading
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Contacts
Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE)
Richard Yost, richard.yost@bge.com
BGE
Media Hotline: 410-470-7433
