BGE Customers Receive More Than $2.5 Million in Credits During the Company’s First Energy Savings Day of the Summer

Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) customers are seeing first-hand the benefits of smart meters with the overwhelming success of the first BGE Smart Energy Rewards Program Energy Savings Day of the summer. On Wednesday, July 23, more than 640,000 BGE residential customers with a smart meter installed in their home voluntarily participated in the Energy Savings Day and the company awarded more than $2.5 million in bill credits in response to customers’ commitment to reducing their energy use. In addition to the cost benefits of reducing energy use, BGE customers who chose to voluntarily reduce their energy use during the Energy Savings Day received an average credit of $6.80 during the event.

An Energy Savings Day typically occurs on very hot summer weekdays when homes and businesses are using higher amounts of electricity, especially air conditioning. BGE anticipates that there will be between 5-10 Energy Savings Days in a summer season. This includes Energy Savings Days that may begin without advanced notification due to unforeseen weather and grid conditions that result in an unpredicted spike in energy demand.

“BGE commends our customers on their participation in the first BGE Energy Savings Day of the summer and the great savings they were able to achieve,” said Ruth Kiselewich, director of demand side management programs, BGE. “For this first event of summer 2014, we saw nearly an 80 percent participation from eligible customers – those with smart meters. We look forward to working with our customers to sustain and increase their participation in each Energy Savings Day so they can save on their electric bills, help ease peak demand, contribute to improved reliability and help make a positive impact on the environment.”

BGE customers with a smart meter installed at their home can participate in the BGE Smart Energy Rewards program by voluntarily reducing their electricity usage to earn a bill credit of $1.25 for every kilowatt-hour saved from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the designated Energy Savings Days. BGE Smart Energy Rewards eligible customers will be notified, usually the evening before an Energy Savings Day, by an automated phone call and email or customers may opt-in for a text notification. These notifications help customers plan ahead to ensure they have time to shift or reduce electricity use between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on the Energy Savings Day. To ensure customers receive Energy Savings Day notifications, they should update their contact information on a mobile device or computer by visiting BGE.com/MyAccount. BGE will also keep customers updated on BGE.com and BGE.com/EnergySavingsDay.

BGE reminds customers to keep safety in mind and customers should only take energy-saving measures as health permits and the company recommends that customers consider the following tips to help save energy and stay comfortable during the Energy Savings Day:

• Raise the thermostat 3 or 4 degrees above the normal setting between 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. If you don’t plan to be home before 7 p.m., raise your air conditioner temperature even higher for added savings.
• Consider turning some window units off during the Energy Savings Day, if you have them.
• Stay hydrated – drink plenty of water.
• Consider going to a cool place such as a movie theater, mall or pool.
• Relax in the basement where the temperature is typically several degrees cooler than the rest of the house.
• Use an outdoor grill or microwave instead of the stove or oven.
• Avoid using other heat-producing appliances such as dishwashers and clothes dryers.
• Draw blinds and curtains in rooms that receive a lot of sunlight.
• Turn ceiling fan on with blades rotating counter clockwise.

BGE thanks its customers for participating in the BGE Smart Energy Rewards and PeakRewards programs, which help to reduce peak electric demand and ensure the reliability of the electric delivery system. These programs are a part of the EmPOWER Maryland Energy Efficiency Act’s goal of reducing both per capita energy consumption and per capita peak demand by 15 percent by the end of 2015.

BGE, headquartered in Baltimore, is Maryland’s largest gas and electric utility, delivering power to more than 1.2 million electric customers and more than 655,000 natural gas customers in central Maryland. The company’s approximately 3,400 employees are committed to the safe and reliable delivery of gas and electricity, as well as enhanced energy management, conservation, environmental stewardship and community assistance. BGE is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation’s leading competitive energy provider, with 2013 revenues of approximately $24.9 billion. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, YouTubeand Flickr.

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