Baltimore City Council to review causes of BGE bill increases
The Baltimore City Council will look into the causes of increases in Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) bills during a hearing.
During the hearing, the council's Committee of the Whole will hear from BGE representatives and other organizations. The committee will focus on BGE's business practices related to gas bills and gas pipeline inspections.
The hearing comes as city leaders aim to address residents' concerns about surging energy bills.
This hearing has been rescheduled as Council President Zeke Cohen tends to his mother, who is battling terminal cancer.
Planning rate increases
According to the Maryland Office of the People's Counsel (OPC), BGE's rates have increased by 10% since the company was acquired by Exelon Corporation in 2012.
At the beginning of the year, the OPC, an independent state agency, issued a warning about gas and electric rate increases planned for 2026. This included a 4.2-cent increase in gas rates and a 0.1-cent increase in electric distribution.
In January, a spokesperson for BGE said the increases were due to work being done on the company's system to "keep it safe and up-to-date for our 1.3 million electric and 700,000 gas customers."
The latest rate increase was part of BGE's second multi-year rate plan, which was approved in 2023 by the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC). It was the final increase under the plan, and BGE will have to file another rate case before 2027 if it plans to conduct a third multi-year rate plan.
2026 rate increases
In January, BGE's average electric bills increased by $1.07 per month, and the average natural gas bill increased by $2.65 per month.
Rates also increased in February, due to a PSC-approved reconciliation increase. The decision resulted in a 3.5-cent increase in gas rates and a 0.1-cent increase in electric rates. The increase will remain in effect for about two years, according to the PSC.
According to the People's Counsel, BGE's rates will be lower in the winter due to a decision that will add costs to bills in the fall and spring when bills are generally lower.
