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
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