Utilities Lagging On Efficiency Goals

As millions of Marylanders face sticker-shock every time they open their utility bill, Maryland PIRG is working to hold our state’s utility companies accountable to lower bills.

None of our state’s utilities are on track to meet the Maryland PIRG-backed statewide energy efficiency goal that could lower bills nearly $4 billion by 2020.

Slow Progress
BGE was the first utility to have its initial slate of programs approved by the Public Service Commission (PSC), but even once all those programs are implemented, the company will fall dramatically short of the statewide goal. The state’s other utilities just got their initial programs approved in August, more than two years after the law was passed.

High Cost Of Delay
Every month the utility companies delay has consequences. Another family will have to choose between paying for groceries and keeping the lights on. Our power grid becomes less reliable and more vulnerable to brownouts and blackouts, and money that could be used to help boost our local economy instead ends up going into the pocket of energy company executives.

Holding Utilities Accountable
This fall, Maryland PIRG staff will meet with the regulators and urge them to crack down on the utility companies. And in January we’ll hold a series of news conferences throughout the state to release a scorecard that assesses how well each of the utility companies is complying with the law.

We’ll bring that research along with citizen support to decision-makers at the Public Service Commission and the Maryland General Assembly to urge them to hold BGE and PepCo’s feet to the fire and require them to put their money where their mouth is on energy efficiency

<a href="http://www.marylandpirg.org/newsletters/fall09">http://www.marylandpirg.org/newsletters/fall09</a>;