ABOUT THE ISSUE

We want electricity consumers in Maryland to have a choice of the most reliable, transparent, and innovative options available.

However, the history of electricity choice in Maryland is a history of unfulfilled promises. Maryland’s Electric Customer Choice and Competition Act of 1999 created electric retail competition and allowed a variety of providers to sell electricity supply and other services to Maryland’s consumers. But today, electricity sales statewide continue to be dominated by the utilities, who continue to act as gatekeepers to the marketplace and maintain a monopoly on customer billing. While the monopoly on customer billing is set to change in 2023, thanks to long-time advocacy efforts, there’s still much to be done.

The state’s utilities – you know them as BGE, PEPCO, Delmarva Power, and Potomac Edison – still remain right in the middle of it all, doing everything from sales, billing, poles, wires, customer service, and more.

With true electricity choice as our goal, Maryland’s consumers are the prime beneficiaries of the Choose Who You Use campaign:

  • Allow every consumer to find an electricity plan that fits their budget, priorities, and values. 
  • Require electricity service providers to meet higher standards to sell electricity. For retail electricity suppliers in the transition period, the Maryland Public Service Commission will decide who makes the grade based on factors like price, the financial stability of the company, and their ability to offer renewable options.
  • Strengthen consumer protections from unfair, misleading, and deceptive practices – including a “consumer bill of rights” and an end to intrusive door-to-door solicitations. 
  • Empower utilities to focus exclusively on the reliability, security, service, and efficiency of our infrastructure while dedicated, state-qualified retail electricity providers supply the widest range of options to consumers.
  • Drive market and product innovation and competition between retail electricity providers, which not only best serves consumers but also more directly helps close the gap between cleaner, innovative energy and accessible energy options.
  • Promote the adoption and development of clean energy including solar, wind, and other green resources, and advance renewable energy accessibility and feasibility.
  • Support low and moderate-income residential consumers through a dedicated “Customer Choice Clean Energy Fund.” Qualifying electric suppliers will have to pay a fee to the state for every new customer they acquire.

Choose Who You Use wants a better deal for electricity consumers in Maryland. 

It’s Maryland’s Energy. Choose Who You Use.