Severe winter weather causes BGE bills to spike

Customers also express concerns over smart meters

  BALTIMORE —Some Baltimore Gas and Electric customers in the region are reporting bills twice as high as normal.

BGE officials said from Nov. 1, 2013 to present, central Maryland has had 655 hours where temperatures were at or below freezing. That's compared to 226 hours over the same time period last year, which is a 290 percent increase.

How much more customers will end up paying depends on what type of heating unit they have, but BGE officials said energy use in most cases, has gone up by 12 percent. However, they said heat pump customers will see the biggest jump in energy demands.

"When temperatures drop below freezing, heating pumps drop into that axillary heating and they can use two to three times more than when temperatures are above freezing. So, if you do have a heat pump you'll definitely see an increase of your usage by much more than 12 percent, and maybe up to 50 percent," BGE spokeswoman Rachael Lighty said.

Officials said families have been spending more times indoors, increasing the usage as well. Some of the tips for saving energy include keeping your curtains open during the day and changing your furnace filter regularly.

WBAL-TV 11 News asked BGE about the new smart meters because some people question its accuracy. Officials said if a customer thinks their bill is wrong, they should call immediately.

Also, if a customer is worried about being able to pay your bill, they should call right away to find out what options are available.

Unfortunately, temperatures aren't expected to spend much time above freezing for the next week.