With high heat in the forecast, it’s important for BGE customers to be mindful of ways to save energy so they can lower energy bills this summer. BGE is prepared for summer heat, and we want to help our customers be prepared, too.
Lower energy bills with these tips:
- Monitor your thermostat. You can save by turning up your thermostat 7° – 10°F for eight hours a day from its normal setting. During the summer months, cooling systems typically account for nearly half of a home’s energy consumption.
- Turn on ceiling fans or standalone fans while you’re in a room can help keep you comfortable without making your cooling system work harder.
- Change air conditioning filters. Replacing these filters regularly can help lower your air conditioner’s energy consumption by up to 15%.
- Close blinds, shades and drapes. An estimated 30% of unwanted heat in a home comes through windows.
There’s even more customers can do to lower energy bills:
- Maintain your A/C system. Regular maintenance will keep your system running at peak efficiency.
Avoid placing lamps or TV sets near your thermostat. The thermostat senses heat from these appliances, which can cause the air conditioner to run longer than necessary. - Take shorter hot showers. Heating water is the second biggest energy drain in the home.
- Reduce kitchen heat. Delay the use of major, heat-generating household appliances such as ovens, stoves, dishwashers, and dryers until after 9 p.m. when the temperature begins to drop.
- Turn it off. Turn off non-essential appliances, electronics, and other devices.
- Conserve with lighting. Turn off unnecessary lights and use LEDs, which use up to 90% less energy than CFL bulbs.
- Customers can monitor their energy usage in their BGE My Account on BGE.com or in the BGE mobile app.
Programs and tools to help customers:
Visit bge.com/heretohelp for ways to manage your bill, use energy more efficiently, or access energy assistance to help lower energy bills this summer. This includes:
- BGE’s self-service Assistance Finder, which provides simple and personalized recommendations.
- BGE Customer Relief Fund, will provide eligible BGE customers relief in the form of a one-time grant ranging from $250 to $750. Approved grants will be credited to customers’ BGE account. Applications open July 1.
- Financial assistance through state programs and the Fuel Fund of Maryland.
- Pay your current high bill over 12 months or extend the due date to receive more time to pay by using the following self-service options: Payment arrangement and due-date extension. For extenuating circumstances needing payment arrangements beyond 12 months, please call us at 800.685.0123.
- Budget billing information and online self-serve sign-up for customers who prefer a predictable monthly bill that spreads energy costs throughout the year.
Service Reliability:
While we cannot prevent extreme weather, we can focus on building a resilient electrical system which improves day-to-day reliability for residents and businesses, while also increasing the safety of the electric grid for our employees and customers. The average number of interruptions experienced by customers (0.63) in 2024 was the lowest in BGE history. This continues BGE’s steady improvements; since 2011, the number of electric outages has decreased by 45 percent, and outage length has been reduced by 58 percent.
The company actively explores innovative technologies to help improve system reliability and avoid lengthy outages. Examples include using drones to enable more efficient and safer equipment inspections, installing specialized equipment such as motor-operated switches that can automatically restore service or isolate damage, and providing storm restoration staff with mobile apps that help them identify and get to jobs faster. Our upgrades in distributed automation, reclosers, and other smart grid technologies contributed to more than 2,032,000 avoided customer interruptions in 2024.
