Baltimore Gas and Electric Bills - UNBELIEVABLE (Frederick, Catonsville: apartments, renting)

[The Bo]

I moved from an apartment in DC to an apartment in Montgomery County a few months ago and now have BG&E as my electric company. My first two bills have been astronomical, with the first one being $145 and the second one being $160. I say these are astronomical because I live in a one-bedroom, and I'm hardly ever here. (My electric bill for my one-bedroom in DC (with a different electric company) averaged $80 to $100 a month.) I also almost always turn all the lights and air conditioning/heating off before I leave everyday.

Also, there is a "distribution charge," separate and apart from the cost of actual electricity used, on the BG&E bill that has been around $24 on both bills. I don't think I've ever seen anything like this or at least in this amount every month.

Does anybody else have similar experiences with this company? Is there any reasonable explanation you can think of for how I can have a $160 electric bill for a one-bedroom apartment I'm hardly ever in when I always turn all the lights and air conditioning/heating off before I leave everyday?

[janetvj]

Originally Posted by The Bo

I moved from an apartment in DC to an apartment in Montgomery County a few months ago and now have BG&E as my electric company. My first two bills have been astronomical, with the first one being $145 and the second one being $160. I say these are astronomical because I live in a one-bedroom, and I'm hardly ever here. (My electric bill for my one bedroom in DC (with a different electric company) averaged $80 to $100 a month.) I also almost always turn all the lights and air conditioning/heating off before I leave everyday.

Also, there is a "distribution charge," separate and apart from the cost of actual electricity used, on the BG&E bill that has been around $24 on both bills. I don't think I've ever seen anything like this or at least in this amount every month.

Does anybody else have similar experiences with this company? Is there any reasonable explanation you can think of for how I can have a $160 electric bill for a one-bedroom apartment I'm hardly ever in when I always turn all the lights and air conditioning/heating off before I leave everyday?

BG&E rates skyrocketed over the last couple of years because a moratorium on raising the rates that was put in place when the utility companies were deregulated a number of years back expired. The moratorium was supposed to stabilize rates to allow competition from other utility companies. The end result was little to no competition, and rates thru the ceiling once the moratorium expired. The cost of the electricity is stated separately from the cost of delivering it. The distribution rate is the charge to deliver the gas and/or electric, and BG&E still has the monopoly on that.

My rates went from about $150 to $175 a month to almost $400. I shouldn't complain as a friend of mine told me his mother's bill (she lives in a larger, older house in Catonsville) is over $1,200 for 1 month.

I'm curious to know what rates are in other areas. From what other people are saying about their heating bills, even in locations where the weather is much colder than here, they are paying much less than we are.

[The Bo]

Originally Posted by janetvj

BG&E rates skyrocketed over the last couple of years because a moratorium on raising the rates that was put in place when the utility companies were deregulated a number of years back expired. The moratorium was supposed to stabilize rates to allow competition from other utility companies. The end result was little to no competition, and rates thru the ceiling once the moratorium expired. The cost of the electricity is stated separately from the cost of delivering it. The distribution rate is the charge to deliver the gas and/or electric, and BG&E still has the monopoly on that.

My rates went from about $150 to $175 a month to almost $400. I shouldn't complain as a friend of mine told me his mother's bill (she lives in a larger, older house in Catonsville) is over $1,200 for 1 month.

I'm curious to know what rates are in other areas. From what other people are saying about their heating bills, even in locations where the weather is much colder than here, they are paying much less than we are.

I'm just shocked by this. I've been renting apartments throughout the country over the last thirteen or so years, the last two locales being in the Tidewater area of Virginia and DC, and I've never seen anything like this.

Being that my electric bill in DC just a couple of months ago with Pepco was averaging $80 to $100 a month, does that suggest DC is regulating Pepco in the way that Maryland has clearly failed to regulate BG&E? Also, I could be wrong, but I don't remember a fee for "distribution" on my Pepco bills, and if there was a fee for that, I definitely don't remember it being on the order of $24 each month in addition to the cost of actual electricity used.

I don't mean to sound whiney about all this, given how much more I can imagine everyone else is paying, but an extra $60 to $80 every month makes a difference in this economy for a single income-earner. Is there anything we can do about this?

[Debi18]

My electric bill with Allegheny for a 3bed/3.5 bath sfh runs about 230-240/mo. in the winter. My Dec bill was 229. That includes a heated shed, 3 acres of electric fence and heated water bowels for 2 mules and 4 dogs.

[The Bo]

Originally Posted by Debi18

My electric bill with Allegheny for a 3bed/3.5 bath sfh runs about 230-240/mo. in the winter. My Dec bill was 229. That includes a heated shed, 3 acres of electric fence and heated water bowels for 2 mules and 4 dogs.

Sounds like a good deal, relatively speaking. If you don't mind me asking, what region of the state do you live in?

[North Beach Person]

Constellation Energy-makes electric (parent company of BGE) and sells it to
BGE-brings electric to your house

The MD legislature is trying to reregulate but that is probably almost impossible. Electricity is now bought and sold on the commodities market. We should have stayed regulated but we didn't, a show that was brought to you by: Gov. Parris Glendenning (D), Sen. Mike Miller (D) and (former) Del. Caspar Taylor (D), now a lobbyist for Constellation Energy.

[janetvj]

Originally Posted by The Bo

I don't mean to sound whiney about all this, given how much more I can imagine everyone else is paying, but an extra $60 to $80 every month makes a difference in this economy for a single income-earner. Is there anything we can do about this?

You're not sounding whiney; believe me. If that's the case then all of us are whiners. There was a public uproar over this when it first happened, but despite the politicians promising to do something about it, nothing ever came of it. I guess most of us just sucked it up and figured it's just one of those things we can't do anything about. Sad.

[RFMD]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

Constellation Energy-makes electric (parent company of BGE) and sells it to
BGE-brings electric to your house

The MD legislature is trying to reregulate but that is probably almost impossible. Electricity is now bought and sold on the commodities market. We should have stayed regulated but we didn't, a show that was brought to you by: Gov. Parris Glendenning (D), Sen. Mike Miller (D) and (former) Del. Caspar Taylor (D), now a lobbyist for Constellation Energy.

You seem to be taking jabs at Democrats. Less government/regulation is a basic premise of the Republican party is that not right? Yes this happened because of deregulation which in this case is truly a farce. We're just seeing the corruption of the political process here. Republicans and Democrats alike are corrupt. I also have been affected by this as BG&E supplies my electric.

If this deregulation worked and rates dropped you would have found some way to credit Republicans or discount Democrats pushing this.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by RFMD

You seem to be taking jabs at Democrats. Less government/regulation is a basic premise of the Republican party is that not right? Yes this happened because of deregulation which in this case is truly a farce. We're just seeing the corruption of the political process here. Republicans and Democrats alike are corrupt. I also have been affected by this as BG&E supplies my electric.

If this deregulation worked and rates dropped you would have found some way to credit Republicans or discount Democrats pushing this.

But the rates didn't drop so I'm just pointing out MD realities and who led the charge for deregulation. In fact, members of both parties opposed deregulation but were obviously outvoted. To make you happy, Tony O'Donnell (R) was in favor of deregulation and was employed by BGE at the time. Of course, the three I named also had substantial contributions from BGE

[Debi18]

Originally Posted by The Bo

Sounds like a good deal, relatively speaking. If you don't mind me asking, what region of the state do you live in?

I'm in Frederick County.