Politics & Government
Utilities Urged to Give Customers More Time to Pay Winter Bills
Maryland utilities are being urged to give residents until the end of May to pay off winter's whopping utility bills. Both BG&E and PEPCO have already extended their shut-off date.
The brutal winter sent utility bills skyrocketing, leaving some utility customers scrambling to pay their bills to avoid having service shut off.
The Maryland Public Service Commission has urged all utilities to extend the grace period for customers to bring their bills up to date or work out payment plans. While some utilities had planned to start terminating service after March 31, the commission wants that date pushed back to May 31, reports CBS DC.
The order says that Baltimore Gas & Electric Co., Potomac Electric Power Co. and Delmarva Power Co. have already extended the period. Those utilities had proposed the extension in February. The commission wants all Maryland utilities to consider a similar extension.
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The commission says it’s also directing utilities to move faster to honor requests from customers with so-called smart meters to switch to competing retail suppliers.
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