Gov. Moore, Maryland leaders announce $200 million in energy rebate relief

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Monday announced $200 million is being distributed directly to residents from the Strategic Energy Investment Fund.

Every household in Maryland will automatically get two credits on their utility bills. The first will come at the end of summer in order to provide relief after the season's high electricity costs. The second will arrive in the winter, around January or February, when heating expenses are typically at their peak, Senate President Bill Ferguson said.

Maryland has struggled with rising energy costs in recent months, driving frustration among ratepayers. 

Most recently, Marylanders saw an electricity bill increase on September 1, due to a capacity auction run by PJM Interconnection, which operates the regional power grid. 

In a May 30 order, the Maryland Public Service Commission directed BGE to spread recovery of certain supply costs over six months. 

BGE said the hike applies only to the electricity supply rate, not the delivery rate.

That increase followed a hike in electricity costs on June 1 that was caused by a spike in capacity auction prices and the Talen Energy reliability-must-run fee.

The last time BGE raised energy rates was on Jan. 1, increasing the average residential gas bill by 9% and electric bills by 7%. 

Some households said they saw increases of more than $200.