On Thursday, Baltimore Gas and Electric filed a rate hike request with the Maryland Public Service Commission affecting over 1 million customers.
The filing states that Maryland electric bills would increase by an average of $100 a year, which would equal about $8 a month if approved in full.
"Today's announcement may be the boiling point for Baltimore residents bracing for dangerously high temperatures this holiday weekend, worried about paying to keep their homes cool after a decade of rising BGE bills," said Emily Scarr, Maryland PIRG Foundation Senior Advisor.
A press release from BGE states that the rate case filed "aligns with a significantly reduced investment strategy focused almost entirely on the most immediate risks to the electric system."
"Nothing matters more to our customers right now than affordability," said Tamla Olivier, president and CEO of BGE. "We heard clearly that customers are feeling pressure from rising costs across every aspect of their lives. That's why we delayed this filing, took a hard look at our plans, and reduced investments to only the bare-bones maintenance the system needs."
BGE says the filing focuses on maintaining the electric system, which includes maintaining its reliability and substations, and introducing a new customer assistance program.
The utility company said that while it has reduced and delayed investments to help limit customer impacts, there is a clear tradeoff to continued reductions.
"There is no scenario where we can stop maintaining the electric system altogether. We made deliberate decisions to postpone large bodies of work, future-focused projects, and replacement of aging equipment," Olivier said. "As the region's power needs grow, and weather-related impacts become more frequent and severe, delaying essential maintenance for too long ultimately leads to more outages, longer restoration times, more emergency repairs, and higher costs for customers in the future."
BGE says the filing includes a FlexPay program that would allow eligible customers to prepay their anticipated energy use.
According to consumer advocates at the Office of the People's Counsel, BGE electric delivery rates nearly doubled in 2010, increasing at about twice the rate of inflation.
BGE profits have increased from $147 million in 2010 to $578 million in 2025, driven by a combination of increased gas and electric capital spending and a high profit rate, according to the PIRG Foundation.
Gas delivery rates have tripled since 2010.
"We plan to review this latest rate hike request in detail, but have serious concerns that as BGE rates and profits skyrocket, customers are facing systematic failures of customer service and safety. We call on the Commission to take a serious look at BGE's spending and reject its request for an excessive profit rate," Scarr said.
The filing will be reviewed by the Maryland Public Service Commission during a proceeding over the next several months, which will include public input, according to BGE.
For the new rates to take effect, the commission would have to enter an order, which would be expected in early 2027.
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