Baltimore Gas and Electric Company Customers Encouraged to Attend Energy Management and Assistance Application Event in Anne Arundel County

Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE), today encouraged qualifying customers to attend an energy management and assistance application event, specifically for customers who have not applied for energy assistance during the current program year, which began July 1, 2010. The event takes place Tuesday, July 27, 2010 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Heritage Community Church, 8146 Quarterfield Rd. in Severn, MD.

“Qualifying customers who are having difficulty paying their BGE bills should not miss this opportunity to apply for assistance and learn how to better manage energy usage by making their home more energy efficient,” said Jeannette M. Mills, senior vice president of customer relations and account services for BGE. “BGE is always willing to work with our customers, but the customer must reach out to us so that we can try to assist them. Customers should never wait until they are in crisis before asking for help.”

Customers who have not qualified for energy assistance in the past are encouraged to apply. Income eligibility guidelines for the current enrollment period are as follows:

Household Size                 Maximum Monthly Gross Income
       1                                     $1,579.37
       2                                     $2,124.79
       3                                     $2,670.20
       4                                     $3,215.62
       5                                     $3,761.04
       6                                     $4,306.45

For each additional person in the household, add $545.42.

Eligible applicants must have an existing BGE account or be in the process of applying for a new account. Customers applying for energy assistance should bring the following with them for fast and efficient processing:

• Government issued photo identification
• Proof of total gross income for the last 30 days for all household members
• Proof of residence (lease, rent book, mortgage statement, etc.)
• Copies of Social Security cards for all household members including children
• Copy of most recent utility bill
• Name of home energy supplier and account number

BGE estimates 200,000 customers in its service area are limited income; however, only approximately 50,000 of those customers apply for assistance from the Office of Home Energy Programs (OHEP). Additionally, customers who need aid beyond the OHEP grant may contact the Fuel Fund of Maryland which may be able to obtain additional assistance from the BGE Community Assistance Fund as well as other community based organizations. While energy assistance events are held periodically throughout the year, qualifying customers can apply for grants at any OHEP office during normal business hours. For more information, call OHEP toll free at 800-352-1446 or in Baltimore City at 410-396-5555.

To help customers manage summer cooling bills, BGE also offers retroactive Budget Billing, which allows customers to be placed on Budget Billing immediately, rather than the standard process of waiting one full billing cycle. Budget Billing evens out payments so that customers aren’t as affected by seasonal fluctuations in usage.

BGE has also enhanced the Summer Ready section of its website which includes interactive information about how homes use energy as well as low-cost and no-cost measures customers can take to improve the efficiency of their homes. Customers may also access BGE’s Online Energy Calculator to learn more about how their homes use energy. BGE also offers many incentives including rebates of up to $400 for participation in its Residential Heating and Cooling programs, bill credits of up to $200 for the first year of participation in the PeakRewardsSM program, as well as many other cost savings as part of BGE’s Smart Energy Savers ProgramSM.

BGE, headquartered in Baltimore, is Maryland’s largest gas and electric utility, delivering power to more than 1.2 million electric customers and more than 640,000 natural gas customers in Central Maryland. The company’s approximately 3,000 employees are committed to the safe and reliable delivery of gas and electricity, as well as enhanced energy management, conservation, environmental stewardship and community assistance. BGE is a wholly owned subsidiary of Constellation Energy, a FORTUNE 500 company also headquartered in Baltimore, with subsidiaries that generate, sell and provide other energy-related services to customers throughout North America.