BGE Prepares for Summer and Provides Customers with Tips to Beat the Heat
May 13 2015 - 1:00PM
Business Wire
Summer is quickly approaching and Baltimore Gas and Electric
Company (BGE) is ready. In an effort to ensure reliable service for
its 1.25 million customers, BGE has implemented its summer
preparedness program, SummerReady. This program positions BGE to
manage increased demands placed on the electric system as customers
keep their homes and businesses cool in the hot summer months.
Through SummerReady, BGE conducts electric equipment inspections
and performs maintenance and upgrades. In addition, employees train
on extreme weather events and other summer scenarios. Summer
preparedness is part of BGE’s ongoing investment in the reliability
and safety of the systems serving customers. This includes more
than $5 billion invested in system upgrades and expansions since
2002, and an additional $3 billion investment over the next five
years.
“BGE works year round to make our natural gas and electric
systems more reliable for our customers,” said Stephen J. Woerner,
president and chief operating officer for BGE. “Just as we prepare
our systems and employees to meet the demands brought by heat and
extreme weather, we also work to educate our customers about the
many ways they can save energy and money in the summer.”
Electric customers with smart meters—more than 1 million
customers this summer—are encouraged to be ready to take advantage
of Energy Savings Days, typically the hottest days of the year when
electricity use is at its highest levels. BGE will notify customers
that an Energy Savings Day has been scheduled and those who
voluntarily reduce their electricity use on Energy Savings Days are
eligible to receive BGE Smart Energy Rewards®. These bill credits
provide $1.25 for every kilowatt-hour reduced from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
compared to typical usage. Eligible customers received more than $5
million in bill credits during two Energy Saving Days during 2014’s
relatively mild summer.
Participants in BGE’s PeakRewardsSM program receive bill credits
by allowing their central air conditioner and/or electric water
heater to be cycled during periods of peak electricity usage. Last
summer, PeakRewards participants received nearly $23 million in
bill credits. The more than 320,000 customers who participate in
PeakRewards help reduce the likelihood of power outages.
Participants have saved approximately 428 megawatts—about the
amount of electricity produced by a medium-sized power plant—since
the program was started.
Customers can follow these simple tips to save energy and money
this summer:
- Turn it off: Turn off all
unnecessary lighting and devices.
- Manage your thermostat: Keep
thermostats at a constant, comfortable level when at home. Raise
the thermostat setting for days of extreme heat to save even more.
Install a programmable thermostat to automatically adjust your
home's temperature settings when you're away or sleeping.
- Keep shades, blinds and curtains
closed: About 40 percent of unwanted heat comes through
windows. Simply closing blinds and curtains, which act as a layer
of insulation, can reduce heat in your home.
- Use ceiling fans to circulate
air: For those without air conditioning, use ceiling fans or
portable fans with the windows partially open to circulate fresh
air into your home. For those with air conditioning, fans can be
used to evenly distribute cool air.
- Use appliances wisely: Run
appliances that produce heat (like clothes dryers, ovens and
dishwashers) at night when it is cooler.
- Be energy smart: Use energy more
efficiently through the BGE Smart Energy Savers Program® that
includes Quick Home Energy Check-ups, lighting discounts, appliance
rebates and many more energy saving programs at
BGESmartEnergy.com.
Summer also brings the potential for severe weather such as
thunderstorms and hurricanes, which can cause power outages. BGE
prepares extensively throughout the year for extreme weather,
readying equipment and testing emergency response systems. BGE
closely monitors approaching weather systems, assesses the
potential impacts on its service area and ensures the appropriate
resources are in place before those storms arrive.
BGE encourages customers to be prepared for severe weather and
the possibility of power outages, which should be reported to
877.778.2222. Customers with smart meters should continue to report
their outages to BGE. Outages can also be reported online via BGE’s
Facebook page and on the company’s mobile-enabled website, bge.com.
Customers can also visit bge.com to view the company’s outage map
and find information about storm preparedness and service
restoration.
For more information on BGE’s SummerReady program, storm
preparedness, storm safety and wires down safety, visit
bge.com/SummerReady.
BGE, headquartered in Baltimore, is Maryland’s largest natural
gas and electric utility, delivering power to more than 1.25
million electric customers and more than 650,000 natural gas
customers in central Maryland. The company’s approximately 3,200
employees are committed to the safe and reliable delivery of
natural 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 2014 revenues of
approximately $27.4 billion. Like us on Facebook and follow us on
Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.
Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE)Aaron Koos,
aaron.koos@bge.comBGE Media Hotline: 410-470-7433
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