WHO WE ARE

Choose Who You Use is a coalition to ensure Marylanders get a real choice when it comes to electricity.

This state-wide coalition works to deliver true electricity choice to Maryland, giving consumers the power to make the best electricity choices for themselves and their families.

The Maryland Electric Customer Choice and Competition Act of 1999 was an attempt to transition Maryland to open competition. Although well-intended, it was never fully realized. There are more than one hundred licensed retail electricity suppliers, but the monopoly utilities still serve 8 of every 10 residential customers.

When Marylanders don’t shop around, forget, or simply don’t know what to do when it comes to choosing an energy supplier, then by default, the state automatically hands them off to one of the monopoly utilities; effectively taking away their choice in what they pay or where their energy is sourced (wind, solar, other).

New policies are also needed to address Maryland’s aging energy infrastructure – many of the cables, poles, transformers, and circuit breakers that make up the state and national electricity grid are approaching 40 or 50 years in service (Maryland Infrastructure Report Card, American Society of Civil Engineers).

Right now, four utilities are trying to do it all – they not only maintain the series of high-voltage power lines (poles and wires), but also handle outages, emergencies, customer service, billing, AND supply electricity to customers who do not shop.

That’s not a real choice for consumers.

We believe the best way to build up a reliable, innovative, and service-focused electricity marketplace is to create wider competition, bolster consumer choices and protections, and ensure the reliability and security of our electricity infrastructure – the “grid,” like poles, wires, switches, and transformers. So that’s what we’re going to deliver, with your help.

That’s why the Choose Who You Use coalition was founded It’s Maryland’s Energy. Choose Who You Use.