OPC Works for You

Why is my summer bill so high?

If you’ve had sticker shock from your recent utility bill, you are not alone. Your energy bill is going up mostly because the costs your utility charges to deliver gas and electricity to your home have been rising significantly in recent years.  Excessive cold or hot temperatures also drive up your bill because you use more energy to heat or cool your home.

Read more about why your bill is so high.

Why is my summer BGE bill so high?
Why is my summer Delmarva Power so high?
Why is my summer Pepco bill so high?

Visit our "Utility Rates and Basics" page for more information on rates and for links to information on rates and bills for Maryland's largest electric and gas utilities.

Utility RELIEF Act

As of July 1, 2026, all provisions in this year’s Utility RELIEF Act are now effective. The omnibus energy bill includes important tools and regulatory guidance that have the potential to impact your utility bill. At more than 140 pages, there’s a lot to unpack, and there’s plenty of work ahead to ensure the best possible implementation before the Public Service Commission (PSC) and federal regulators.

Click here for quick answers to the most common questions we’re getting about the legislation.

Click here to read the legislative testimony OPC filed on this and other bills.

Learn more about ongoing implementation, including:

• ► Maryland agencies ask federal regulators to reduce transmission profits following Utility RELIEF Act
   
• ► Following passage of Utility RELIEF Act, Pepco withdraws pending forecasted test year proposal

Utility Wise: Energy answers in 30 minutes or less

This spring, take just 15–30 minutes to get more informed about your energy use. Our live, expert-led webinars are short, informative, and designed with you in mind. Get clear answers to your questions. Each session is hosted by our Director of Consumer Assistance along with a subject expert.

Choose one session or attend them all — it’s up to you.

• Sign up now for our spring webinar series
   
• Subscribe to our newsletter for alerts on new topics
• Have a topic idea? Email us at [email protected]

Future of gas  

Maryland’s gas utilities continue to invest hundreds of millions of dollars each year in long-lived gas infrastructure—the pipes, concrete, and other infrastructure that make up the local distribution system—despite changing patterns of household gas consumption and lower-cost alternatives. Across multiple Public Service Commission proceedings, OPC is advocating to keep residential rates as low as possible while maintaining safe and reliable gas service. Recent updates include:

• ► OPC recently filed testimony in the Future of Gas (FOG) docket, a case the PSC created in response to OPC’s February 2023 petition to launch a proceeding on long-term gas system planning. Evidentiary hearings will take place in August, and the public will have the opportunity to file comments by Sept. 28, 2026;
   
• ► OPC is appealing the PSC’s decision to allow Washington Gas to proceed with costly gas replacement projects under the STRIDE statute without first determining whether the company complied with the requirements of the 2025 Next Generation Energy Act (“NGEA”);  
   
• ► In May, the PSC hit pause on its plan to publish draft regulations that would have ended ratepayer subsidies for connecting new customers to the gas system. OPC has long advocated for that change and previously estimated that it would save customers $952 million over ten years.

Read more about gas utility spending and OPC’s analysis.