Energy Oversight Briefing: Implementation of the Utility RELIEF Act and Other Issues
There is a lot of really informative information for energy related topics.
Energy Oversight Briefing: Implementation of the Utility RELIEF Act and Other Issues
energy
MD Energy, Power, Utility Price and Regulation Presentations
During 2026 Legislative Session, there are so many presentations, discussions and legislations related to energy, utility price, regulations. We are determined to fix the high utility cost issue facing our constitutes.
Hopefully the following presentations will help all to understand these issues better.
Maryland’s Energy Landscape – Part 1
Maryland’s Energy Landscape – Part 1
Three presentations from PSC, OPC and DNR. These are really informative.
Energy Affordability- Problems and Solutions
Energy Affordability- Problems and Solutions
Brittany Baker Maryland Director, Chesapeake Climate Action Network
There is so much information to help us understand the high energy cost issue. Please read it.
Some dive-in on the bill in the slide.
Below is a clear, regulator-accurate breakdown of which parts of your Washington Gas bill are avoidable vs. unavoidable, and what actions (if any) actually reduce each charge.
1. UNAVOIDABLE CHARGES
You pay these no matter what supplier you choose and even if gas prices fall.
🟥 Distribution Charge ($15.98)
- Pays for pipes, meters, maintenance, emergency response
- Set by Maryland PSC
- Cannot be avoided
- Reduced only by using less gas
🟥 STRIDE Surcharge (~$1.90)
- Funds pipeline replacement & safety upgrades
- Automatically approved cost recovery
- Unavoidable
- Continues even if you switch suppliers
🟥 System Charge ($11.85)
- Covers system-wide reliability & balancing
- Infrastructure-based
- Unavoidable
🟥 EmPower MD Surcharge ($1.80)
- State-mandated energy efficiency programs
- Required by law
- Unavoidable
🟥 Taxes ($2.99 total)
- Montgomery County energy tax
- MD Gross Receipts tax
- Unavoidable
🔴 Bottom line (Unavoidable)
~$34–36 of your $47.98 bill is unavoidable
No supplier switch, negotiation, or timing can remove these.
2. PARTIALLY AVOIDABLE CHARGES
Can be reduced only by using less gas
🟨 All per-therm charges
These scale with usage:
- Distribution charge
- STRIDE
- System charge
- EmPower MD
- Taxes
How to reduce them:
- Insulation
- Heat pump hybrid systems
- Lower thermostat setpoints
- Efficient water heater
⚠️ But note:
Even cutting usage 30% usually lowers the bill only ~15–20%.
3. AVOIDABLE / CHOOSABLE CHARGES
These are the only charges you can change via supplier choice
🟩 Natural Gas Supply (PGC – $13.46)
- This is the commodity gas price
- You may:
- stay with Washington Gas default
- switch to a retail supplier
- This is the ONLY line item you can shop for
Reality check:
- Typical savings from switching: $1–3/month
- Many third-party suppliers:
- raise rates after teaser periods
- add early termination fees
- lock you into higher fixed prices
📌 Most people save little or nothing long-term.
4. What Is Truly Avoidable?
| Charge Type | Avoidable? | How |
|---|---|---|
| Distribution | ❌ No | None |
| STRIDE | ❌ No | None |
| System charge | ❌ No | None |
| EmPower MD | ❌ No | None |
| Taxes | ❌ No | None |
| Gas supply (PGC) | ✅ Yes | Switch supplier |
| All charges | ⚠️ Partially | Use less gas |
5. Hard Truth (Important)
Washington Gas is essentially a fixed-cost utility disguised as a usage bill.
- 70–75% of your bill is policy + infrastructure
- Efficiency helps, but only modestly
- Electrification (heat pumps) is the only real escape, but costly upfront
If you want next:
- a side-by-side bill before/after heat pump
- a supplier switch risk table
- how Maryland PSC approved STRIDE and why bills rose
- comparison with BGE / Pepco gas customers
Just say the word.