BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Baltimore Gas and Electric wants to raise rates for residential electric customers as part of its ongoing push for higher distribution fees.
The Office of People’s Counsel released a Consumer’s Guide Tuesday outlining that BGE’s proposed rate hike increase would raise electric distribution rates by about 17%, moving from 4.9 cents per kilowatt-hour to 5.8 cents per kilowatt-hour.
BGE’s request to collect an additional $156.1 million from customers, if approved, would bring the utility’s electric distribution rates to 58% higher than they were in 2020 and 129% higher since Exelon Corporation acquired BGE in 2012.
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The Office of People’s Counsel is raising questions about whether the utility’s repeated hikes are delivering measurable results for customers or simply boosting profits for Exelon investors.
People’s Counsel David S. Lapp said, “BGE says it is focused on investments that are ‘essential to continued safe and reliable service.’ But the rate case includes a request to substantially increase BGE’s profits to levels that far exceed those of companies subject to competition, as well as other requests that raise costs for residential customers without corresponding investments to meet customer needs.”
The Consumer’s Guide released this week illustrates how BGE’s rates have changed over time and explains the main categories of costs in the current rate case. The guide details how increases impact the average customer’s bill, how utilities make profits and how residents can participate in decisions.
“BGE’s requested rate increase continues a long line of nearly consecutive annual rate increases since Exelon’s acquisition of BGE in 2012,” Lapp said. “BGE’s requests might be necessary to meet Exelon’s investor goals of growing returns and profits, but they are causing unnecessary burdens for BGE’s customers.”
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