Stocking Up On Sweaters

At Columbia Talk headquarters we have one of those programmable thermostats that allow us to turn the heat waaaaay down at night and when we are typically not home. Still we've been surprised at the jump in our monthly BGE bill. And apparently we are not alone, according to this column by the Sun's Jay Hancock.


Metro Baltimore is freezing, worried about the recession and wondering why BGE bills are higher than ever even as the cost of gasoline, electricity and other energy has plunged.

Blame a cold winter and BGE's purchase of electricity last year when energy prices were hitting record heights. The popped energy bubble should eventually mean moderately lower BGE bills.

"In 2010, I think we'll see in the range of 5 to 10 percent potential drops in retail electric rates," says Mark Case, BGE's senior vice president of strategy and regulatory affairs. Natural gas rates could go down by much more.