Utility Rates and Basics

For up-to-date utility rates, please use the links at the left. 

If you are looking for retail supplier offers, please visit the Public Service Commission's managed websites for electric offers and gas offers. 

 

Forecasted Rates Analysis

OPC analysis: Forecasted rates grow customer bills faster than standard rate setting: comparisons of Exelon utility distribution rates, customers charges, and yearly totals before forecasted rates and with forecasted rates.

Citing a lack of customer benefits, Public Service Commission ends current multi-year rate pilot program (10/1/2026)

Following passage of Utility RELIEF Act, Pepco withdraws pending forecasted test year proposal (4/21/2026)

Setting distribution rates using utility spending forecasts drives higher customer costs than standard rate setting, OPC analysis finds (3/30/2026)

Multi-year rate plans harm customers with or without Exelon’s proposed tweaks, OPC tells regulators (9/9/2025)

Multi-year rate plans: A failed solution in search of a problem, People’s Counsel tells Public Service Commission (10/18/2024)

In win for customers, State regulators reject Pepco plan for three years of rate increases (6/11/2024)

BGE’s Rate Plan Would Lead to Massive Customer Rate Increases, OPC Consumer Guide Shows (6/20/2023)


 

Electric and Gas Rates Report

(Updated March 2025)

OPC’s June 2024 report shows how utility rates have changed over time. Using a variety of figures and tables, the report reveals that most Maryland utility customers have seen their gas and electricity rates increase substantially over the last 10-15 years, with some rates increasing by multiples of two or three. The report focuses on the amounts that utilities charge their customers for delivering electricity and gas to customers’ homes and businesses, as distinct from the supply (or commodity) charges. While the rates of many of the largest utilities have escalated significantly in recent years, other utilities have only seen modest rate increases, tracking inflation rates. The utilities with rapidly increasing delivery rates have taken advantage of regulatory policies that encourage utility spending on capital infrastructure—such as the substations, poles, and wires of the electric utilities and the pipes of the gas utilities—by allowing utilities to recover such spending, along with a profit, on an accelerated basis.

The individual utility pages available through the links on the left side of this page have information about current and historic rates and charges of the major Maryland electric and gas utilities. The information will be periodically updated.

Figures on the utility-specific pages show only rates and charges under the standard tariffs for residential customers. Rates and charges for other customer classes or non-standard options (such as time-of-use rates) for residential customers will be different. The rates shown are intended to illustrate general rate trends and are based on standard residential rate schedules. Reported rates may vary slightly from rates as they appear or appeared on customer bills because they reflect an annual weighted average, do not incorporate certain surcharges or reconciliations, or because they are not adjusted for temporary riders, including changes for tax benefits from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and related credits being passed through to customers ahead of schedule.

Bill Basics

Videos on how to read your utility bill:

Your electric and gas bill is divided into two main parts: Delivery and Supply

 

Why your winter utility bills were high (2025-2026)

Why is my winter BGE bill so high?

Why is my winter Delmarva Power bill so high?

Why is my winter Pepco bill so high?

 

Maryland electric bills: Fall 2025 increases 

Most people in Maryland will see higher electric bills this fall compared to last fall. These higher costs are largely because prices from the “capacity market” auction went up by 800%. The capacity market auction is meant to ensure electric system reliability, and is run by PJM Interconnection, the regional transmission organization (RTO) that coordinates the movement of electricity in all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia.

Click here to read more about rising fall electricity rates. 

 

Consumer Guide to Summer 2025 Electric Rates

Many Marylanders can expect high electric bills this summer because of hot summer weather and rising utility delivery rates and other charges. The Consumer's Guide to Summer 2025 Electric Rates explains the basic components of customer electric bills, how customer consumption affects bills, and why bills are rising. It also gives suggestions for actions that customers can take to avoid the worst impacts and shares some of OPC's efforts to push back against escalating utility costs. Customers can use the guide to estimate their summer monthly bills.

Click here to view the Consumer's Guide to Summer 2025 Electric Rates.

Delivery (Distribution Service)

The utility’s delivery service charge includes the costs of the utility’s infrastructure that serves customers and the utility’s operational costs. This is what you pay the utility company to keep the system running. It covers the cost of things like the poles, wires, pipes, and the workers who maintain them.

The distribution charges on your bill pay for the physical system that brings energy to your home. Part of this cost comes from the utility company’s "rate base," which is the total value of all the equipment they have built but haven't finished paying for yet. This includes items like power poles, wires, and underground gas pipes. A utility makes its profit based on the size of this rate base. The more money the company spends on building or replacing this infrastructure, the larger their rate base grows. You pay for these projects, the company’s profit, and the taxes the company owes on that profit through the distribution section of your monthly bill.

Distribution charges tend to increase over time. The utility distribution charges are set by the Public Service Commission in rate cases.

Delivery costs are recovered with two different charges you see on your bill:

  1. A distribution rate, which is a charge that changes based on how much electricity or gas you used that month.

  2. A fixed “customer” charge, which is a flat monthly fee you pay no matter how much energy you use.

Supply (Commodity)

The supply charge is for the cost of the gas or electricity you use.

  • The amount of gas used (the gas molecules) is measured in therms.

  • The amount of electricity used is measured in kilowatt hours.

  • The utility company buys this energy on the open market and passes the cost directly to you without making a profit on the energy itself. Because market prices change, this part of your bill may go up or down each month. This process is regulated by the Public Service Commission, and the costs are passed through to customers with a small fee.

Other surcharges

Your utility bill also includes surcharges that add to your bill.

Here are explanations of some of those surcharges:

  • STRIDE surcharge: Gas companies may have a “STRIDE” surcharge. This is an additional charge for delivery service related to replacement of old infrastructure (pipes and equipment). What you pay in the STRIDE surcharge is added into the overall delivery services charges. Click to learn more about STRIDE.

  • EmPOWER surcharge: This surcharge supports programs to promote energy efficiency, such as rebates for energy-efficient appliances, home energy audits, and related programs that might help you save money. Click to learn more about programs through EmPOWER that can benefit you.

  • Local taxes: While distribution charges cover the utilities’ taxes on money that they make, local taxes may be included as a separate line item on your bill.

Click the left-hand menu to see current and historical utility rates for Maryland’s major utilities.