Maryland Electricity Rates in 2026: What BGE, Pepco, Delmarva, Potomac Edison, and SMECO Customers Pay
- What Maryland Households Pay for Electricity Right Now
- Maryland Electricity Rates by Utility: Supply and Delivery, Side by Side
- Solar Self-Consumption and Outage Backup: Where a Home Battery Fits (EcoFlow TITAN 5000)
- How to Compare Electric Rates in Maryland Without Getting Burned
- Maryland Rate Cases to Watch: What's Proposed and What's Final
- Conclusion
- FAQs
Has your electric bill gone up over the past year? The reason isn't the same in every part of the state. Every bill has two halves. One is the supply price for the power itself. The other is the delivery charge set by your local utility and the Public Service Commission (PSC). You can buy supply from your utility or from a retail supplier. Delivery always comes from the company that owns the lines on your street. This guide covers Maryland electricity rates by utility. It also covers open rate cases and how to compare offers safely.
What Maryland Households Pay for Electricity Right Now
The quickest statewide snapshot comes from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). It tracks average home prices in each state every month. That average blends every utility, supplier and plan in Maryland. Your own bill depends on who delivers and supplies your power.
EIA's Electric Power Monthly puts Maryland's average home price at 21.40 cents per kWh in August 2026. In August 2025, it was 19.89 cents. That's about 7.6% higher (21.40 minus 19.89, divided by 19.89). The latest month is preliminary, so EIA may revise it.
What the Statewide Average Includes
EIA's figure is total charges divided by kWh sold. So it rolls supply, delivery, surcharges and taxes into one number. For a longer view, see EIA's Maryland electricity profile. It lists a 2024 average price of 15.04 cents per kWh for all sectors, ranked 13th. That figure includes businesses, so don't compare it to the home price.
Supply vs. Delivery Charges
Every Maryland bill has the same two parts. Here's what each covers:
Supply: the power itself, plus transmission (the big lines that move power across the region).
Delivery: a flat monthly customer charge and per-kWh delivery charges. It also includes taxes and surcharges such as EmPOWER Maryland, the state's energy efficiency program.
Comparing electricity rates in every state puts Maryland's prices in context. But a state average hides big gaps between utilities. The next step is to read the numbers for the company that serves your home.
Maryland Electricity Rates by Utility: Supply and Delivery, Side by Side
Maryland lets you choose who supplies your power. If you haven't picked a supplier, your utility sells you Standard Offer Service (SOS). Delivery charges are separate. They're set in each utility's PSC-approved tariff.
The PSC's Standard Offer Service page explains where SOS power comes from. Utilities buy it from wholesale suppliers through bidding the PSC oversees. Home bids happen twice a year.
Check the utility name on your bill first. The main companies are:
Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE)
Potomac Electric Power Company (Pepco)
Delmarva Power
Potomac Edison (a FirstEnergy company)
Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO)
Choptank Electric Cooperative also posts its own SOS price. It isn't in the tables below.
Supply Prices by Utility
The table below shows residential supply-price components. BGE uses its current published rate sheet; the other rows use the named official snapshots. For BGE, Pepco and Delmarva, the total shown includes transmission but excludes further adjustments.
Utility | Residential supply price | Effective / period | Source |
BGE | Generation $0.12962/kWh + transmission $0.02228/kWh = $0.15190/kWh, excluding Rider 8 | October 1, 2026–May 31, 2027 | |
Pepco (MD) | Supply $0.12681/kWh + transmission $0.02101/kWh = $0.14782/kWh | October 2026 | Maryland OPC, Pepco rate page |
Delmarva Power (MD) | Supply $0.110919/kWh + transmission $0.020699/kWh = $0.131618/kWh | October 2026 | Maryland OPC, Delmarva Power rate page |
Potomac Edison (MD) | SOS 12.433 cents/kWh (weighted average 11.839 cents/kWh) | Current, through May 31, 2027 | FirstEnergy, Maryland customer choice page |
SMECO | SOS $0.11607/kWh | October 2026 | Maryland OPC, SMECO rate page |
Delivery Charges by Utility
Utility | Customer charge | Per-kWh distribution | EmPOWER surcharge | Source |
BGE | $10.00/month | $0.04859/kWh (Schedule R base charge) | $0.01310/kWh | BGE Schedule R, Rate Year 3 (2026) |
Pepco (MD) | $8.44/month | $0.04328/kWh | $0.020618/kWh | Maryland OPC, October 2026 |
Delmarva Power (MD) | $9.43/month | $0.071482/kWh | $0.020055/kWh | Maryland OPC, October 2026 |
Potomac Edison (MD) | $6.00/month | $0.02287/kWh | $0.01376/kWh | Maryland OPC, October 2026 |
SMECO | $9.75/month | $0.05404/kWh | $0.01398/kWh | Maryland OPC, October 2026 |
These are selected rate components, not complete bills. BGE uses its published Schedule R base delivery charge; the other delivery rows reproduce OPC’s October 2026 snapshots. Taxes and further adjustments are not included. The BGE figures exclude Rider 8 and Rider 16, among other adjustments. Do not treat the tables as an all-in price per kWh: the customer charge is flat, and other charges are missing. BGE’s Schedule R lists more than 20 riders, including net energy metering.
A labeled partial bill example (BGE, 900 kWh)
Here’s a BGE home using 900 kWh. Example only: selected components before taxes and other riders, using BGE’s current SOS rate sheet and Schedule R. The supply figure excludes Rider 8, and the delivery figure excludes Rider 16 and other adjustments.
Component | Math | Amount |
Supply (SOS plus transmission) | 900 × $0.15190 | $136.71 |
Distribution | 900 × $0.04859 | $43.73 |
Customer charge | Flat monthly fee | $10.00 |
EmPOWER surcharge | 900 × $0.01310 | $11.79 |
Partial total | About $202.23 |
A real BGE bill will differ. Taxes, other riders and seasonal SOS prices all change it. Knowing what drives electricity delivery charges helps here. Neighbors with different suppliers still pay the same utility fees.
Some Maryland homes look past the supply price. They either have solar panels, or outages are the bigger worry.
Solar Self-Consumption and Outage Backup: Where a Home Battery Fits (EcoFlow TITAN 5000)
A home battery doesn't change Maryland's supply or delivery rates. It's also no substitute for comparing offers. It fits a separate need: storing your own solar power or backing up key circuits in an outage.
Start with your utility's net metering terms, your loads and an installed-cost quote. BGE's Schedule R, for example, lists Rider 18, Net Energy Metering. If you own solar, read your utility's current terms first.
During an outage, check your utility's outage map. If you see a downed line, call 911 first.
Do you have rooftop solar or lose power often in storms? Then the question is what to store and which circuits to protect. The EcoFlow TITAN 5000 is one option to consider. It's a split-phase home battery that works with the grid. It connects through the EcoFlow Smart Home Panel 10, which a licensed electrician installs.
Estimating Outage Runtime
How long would one unit last in an outage? Here's a rough planning formula: 5,017.6Wh × 0.85 ÷ load in watts. The 0.85 is an assumed allowance for power lost in conversion. An example 500W mix (fridge, lights, router, furnace blower) gives about 8.5 hours. At 1,000W, you'd get a little over 4 hours. Use your own appliance figures instead.
For most homes, though, the bigger supply choice is simpler. It's whether to stay on SOS or sign with a retail supplier.
How to Compare Electric Rates in Maryland Without Getting Burned
Are you searching for the best electric rates in Maryland? Or the lowest electric rates in Maryland for your ZIP code? Either way, you'll weigh supplier offers against your utility's SOS price. Since 2025, state law has put new limits on home supplier contracts.
What Senate Bill 1 Changed
Start with MD Electric Choice. It calls itself "The Official Electric Shopping Website of the Maryland Public Service Commission." It's the safest place to compare electric rates Maryland suppliers offer. You can also confirm a supplier's license there. Its page on why you may see fewer offers explains what changed under Senate Bill 1 (2024 session):
Price caps: Home contracts signed or renewed on or after January 1, 2025 have a price cap. The cap is based on the average home SOS rate over the past 12 months.
Term limit: A home supply contract can't run longer than 12 months.
Green power: Suppliers can't charge more than the PSC-approved price for power sold as green or clean. This comes from Order No. 91464, Case No. 9757 (December 30, 2024).
The site also notes that some suppliers have stopped serving homes since the law. So even if you're hunting for the cheapest electricity rates in Maryland, you may see fewer offers now.
Questions to Ask Before You Sign
Before you sign, ask a few questions. The PSC's shopping site suggests these:
What does the price include? Which fees or taxes are left out?
Is the rate fixed, variable or a mix?
How long does the deal last, and what happens when it ends?
What are the cancellation terms and early termination fees?
Does the supplier bill you, or does your utility send one combined bill?
Switching doesn't change who keeps up your lines. Your utility still bills delivery, surcharges and taxes. Sorting out your utility versus electricity supplier makes the two halves easier to compare. Delivery charges can still change, though, so it's worth knowing which rate cases are open.
Maryland Rate Cases to Watch: What's Proposed and What's Final
Delivery rates change through rate cases at the Maryland PSC. Each case starts with the utility's request and ends with a final order. The numbers often shrink along the way. So keep proposed and approved figures apart.
Utility | Case No. | Stage | Key facts | Source |
BGE | 9888 | Proposed (filed July 2, 2026) | Requests a $156.1 million electric revenue increase. BGE’s filing puts the effect at about $8 a month on average residential bills. The PSC says current rates remain frozen pending its decision, expected in January 2027. | PSC order in Case No. 9888; OPC |
BGE | 9888 | Party position (not a decision) | OPC testimony (Sept. 22, 2026) recommends rejecting the request and reducing rates by $43.9 million. | Maryland OPC |
BGE | 9692 | Final (order Dec. 14, 2023) | Multi-year plan. Rate Year 3 delivery rates took effect January 1, 2026. | BGE Schedule R tariff; OPC |
BGE | Multi-year plan reconciliation | Final (PSC order Dec. 22, 2025) | BGE sought $152.3 million; the PSC approved $77.2 million. Bill impacts began in February 2026 and run through 2027. | PSC news release |
Pepco (MD) | 9820 | Final (order Aug. 28, 2026) | Filed Oct. 15, 2025, seeking $133 million. OPC reports the PSC authorized roughly $51 million, about $3.94 a month on the average residential bill, and opened a Phase II proceeding. | PSC release (filing); OPC (order) |
Delmarva Power (MD) | 9681 | Final (order Dec. 14, 2022) | Last rate case (multi-year) | Maryland OPC |
Potomac Edison (MD) | 9695 | Final (order Oct. 18, 2023) | Last rate case | Maryland OPC |
SMECO | 9738 | Final (order Nov. 27, 2024) | Last rate case | Maryland OPC |
OPC reports that the PSC ended its multi-year rate plan pilot in an order on October 1, 2026. The PSC found the pilot's goals "largely unachieved."
A utility's revenue increase isn't the same as a change to your bill. Only trust bill impacts the source states. Most electricity price forecasts for 2026 point to the same pressures Maryland utilities cite in their filings.
Conclusion
Maryland's average home price hit 21.40 cents per kWh in August 2026, according to EIA. Your bill depends on your utility's delivery charges and your supply choice: SOS or a capped supplier contract. Find your SOS price first. Then compare offers on MD Electric Choice using the contract questions. If you're a BGE customer, watch Case No. 9888. With rooftop solar or frequent outages, the EcoFlow TITAN 5000 can store solar and back up key circuits. It works through an electrician-installed EcoFlow Smart Home Panel 10, sized to your loads.
FAQs
What is the average electricity rate in Maryland?
EIA puts Maryland's average home price at 21.40 cents per kWh for August 2026. Your bill depends on your utility, supply choice and usage.
Who has the cheapest electricity rates in Maryland?
It depends on your utility and the offers in your area. Compare your utility's SOS price with licensed supplier offers on MD Electric Choice. Delivery charges stay the same either way.
Can I choose my electricity supplier in Maryland?
Most Maryland customers can. If you never pick one, you stay on your utility's Standard Offer Service.
Are supplier rates capped in Maryland?
Yes, for home contracts signed or renewed on or after January 1, 2025. MD Electric Choice says caps follow the average SOS rate over the past 12 months. Terms also can't run past 12 months.
Why did my BGE bill go up in 2026?
BGE's Rate Year 3 delivery rates took effect January 1, 2026. A reconciliation charge then began in February 2026. Supply prices also change on set schedules. A new request (Case No. 9888) is pending.
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