Baltimore City Council hearing targets surging BGE gas and electric bills, as state-approved hikes take effect
A city hearing amid widening household cost pressures
Baltimore City Council leaders are moving to examine sharp increases in Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) customer bills as multiple, state-approved rate adjustments take effect in 2026. The issue has become a recurring point of constituent complaints during the winter heating season, when energy usage typically rises and higher rates translate into larger monthly invoices.
When the public hearing is scheduled
Legislative records show the City Council’s Committee of the Whole scheduled a public hearing for March 12, 2026 on legislation calling in BGE representatives and other relevant organizations to discuss gas-related billing concerns, high gas bills, and gas pipeline inspections.
What’s driving bill increases in 2026
The largest share of a typical utility bill is shaped by decisions made at the state level because BGE is a regulated utility. The Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) has authorized multi-year distribution rate adjustments for BGE and also ruled on a separate reconciliation process tied to earlier spending under a multi-year plan.
January 1, 2026 distribution rate changes: BGE’s gas and electric distribution rates increased again at the start of the year under a multi-year rate plan framework.
February 2026 reconciliation-related impacts: The PSC approved a substantially reduced reconciliation adjustment compared with the utility’s request. The PSC described average monthly impacts beginning in February 2026 of about $0.72 for residential electric customers and about $1.95 for residential gas customers, with the adjustment extending through the end of 2027.
What the City Council can and cannot change
While the City Council can convene hearings, collect testimony, and press state regulators and policymakers for action, it does not set BGE’s regulated distribution rates. Those rates are decided through PSC proceedings that review utility spending, reliability plans, and revenue requirements.
The hearing nevertheless creates a public forum to clarify how bill components are changing, including the difference between:
Delivery (distribution) charges approved through utility rate cases, and
Supply-related costs that can fluctuate based on broader regional electricity market conditions and procurement schedules.
Related state actions and consumer relief efforts
State-level policy has also been shifting in response to affordability concerns. PSC materials note that 2025 legislation prohibits certain “true-up” mechanisms in future multi-year utility rate plans, and state policy also created a Legislative Relief Fund intended to provide seasonal bill credits for residential electricity customers. Separately, Exelon, BGE’s parent company, has supported community assistance efforts aimed at helping customers manage energy costs.
Public testimony at the city hearing is expected to focus on affordability, transparency in bill explanations, and infrastructure spending priorities that may affect long-term costs.
What to watch next
Key outcomes to monitor include whether the City Council advances additional legislative actions or formal requests to state regulators, how BGE explains the mix of weather-driven usage and rate-driven increases, and whether upcoming PSC or legislative decisions change the trajectory of charges that customers will see through 2026 and beyond.