This bill modifies Maryland's retail electricity and gas supply regulations by changing how utility companies can charge fees, what marketing materials they can bill customers for, and how long residential energy contracts can last. It reduces the annual assessment fee that electric and gas companies pay to the state Public Service Commission from 0.50% to 0.25% of their gross operating revenues, while keeping separate fees for the Strategic Energy Planning Office and Office of People's Counsel. The legislation also limits residential electricity contracts to a maximum of 36 months and removes the ability for suppliers to automatically renew green power contracts without customer consent. Additionally, the bill clarifies that marketing materials must be neutral when informing customers about standard energy options and repeals previous regulations on green power pricing.
HB 1561 requires Maryland's Public Service Commission to mandate investor-owned electric utilities to develop resource adequacy plans if the state faces insufficient power supply capacity or experiences severe price spikes in the PJM electricity market. The bill directs utilities to prioritize renewable energy investments in these plans and allows them to recover reasonable costs (including stranded investments) through regulated surcharges. It modifies how utilities can recover expenses for building power generation facilities and transmission infrastructure, ensuring cost recovery aligns with federal rate base approvals. This directly affects Maryland's major electric utilities (like Potomac Electric Power Company) and their ratepayers through potential cost adjustments.
HB 1494 modernizes Maryland's residential electricity and gas markets by allowing suppliers to offer time-of-use rates for terms longer than 12 months and combining electricity with green energy certificates in multi-year plans. It permits rates that exceed standard utility rates during peak times and exempts certain green power products from typical marketing and pricing rules. The bill requires the Public Service Commission to establish new rules for consolidated billing, cybersecurity, and fair interconnection of energy services. These changes directly affect residential customers choosing electricity/gas plans and suppliers offering those services, aiming to expand consumer options while adding new regulatory safeguards.
HB 1476 modifies Maryland’s net energy metering program by ending the current standard tariff when total customer-generator capacity reaches 3,000 megawatts or a successor program is implemented. It requires the Public Service Commission to develop and implement a new successor program by December 2026, which must balance incentives for distributed solar/wind generation, minimize costs for utility customers, and ensure fair compensation while considering grid needs and energy equity. The successor program will remain available until combined capacity from both the old and new programs reaches 6,000 megawatts. This bill directly affects residential and commercial solar/wind owners, utilities, and all Maryland ratepayers through changes to how distributed energy is compensated and integrated into the grid.
SB 966 requires Maryland's Public Service Commission to develop a successor program for net energy metering (NEM) when the current program reaches 3,000 megawatts of combined customer-generator capacity. The new program must incentivize distributed renewable energy (like rooftop solar), minimize long-term costs for all ratepayers, and balance fair compensation for energy exported to the grid with grid benefits and energy equity concerns. The Commission must complete this program development by December 2026, including stakeholder input, and submit a report to the legislature. The successor program will operate until total NEM capacity (current + successor) reaches 6,000 megawatts. This directly affects residential and commercial solar/wind system owners (eligible customer-generators) and electric utilities.
SB 771 moves the administration of Maryland’s electric universal service program from the Public Service Commission to the Office of Home Energy Programs within the Department of Human Services. This program provides energy assistance to low-income households with annual incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, covering bill assistance, weatherization, and arrearage retirement. The bill also expands the Strategic Energy Investment Fund to include fuel assistance programs and updates related definitions and responsibilities across state code sections. These changes aim to streamline program management under a single agency focused on human services.
SB 749 defines "residential retail customer" as individuals using electricity or gas at a home, excluding businesses mislabeled as residential. It requires electricity suppliers to price non-green power at or below the utility's standard offer service rate, allows consolidated billing for electricity and gas, and mandates that suppliers marketing electricity as "green" must meet a 51% renewable energy standard (or 1% above the state's portfolio standard). The bill also adds requirements for the Public Service Commission to approve green power pricing and restricts automatic renewals for green power contracts. These changes directly affect residential electricity suppliers and their customers in Maryland.
HB 1516 transfers administration of Maryland's electric universal service program from the Public Service Commission to the Office of Home Energy Programs within the Department of Human Services. It also expands the Strategic Energy Investment Fund to cover fuel assistance programs, including weatherization for low-income households. The bill directly affects low-income residents with annual incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level who receive energy bill assistance. Key provisions include requiring the new Office to implement the electric universal service program and continuing the weatherization component previously managed by the Department of Housing and Community Development. The changes aim to streamline administration under one agency while maintaining existing eligibility and service mechanisms.
SB 598 requires Maryland electric companies to submit cost containment plans to the Public Service Commission by January 1, 2027, and every three years thereafter. These plans must detail how the companies will reduce costs through "nonwires solutions" (like distributed energy resources and grid-enhancing technologies) and "demand flexibility" programs to avoid expensive infrastructure upgrades. The bill specifically mandates that plans address reducing peak electricity demand and integrating renewable energy while maintaining grid reliability. This directly affects all Maryland electric distribution and transmission companies operating under the Public Service Commission.
SB 954, the "Affordable Energy Act," requires Maryland's Public Service Commission to mandate investor-owned electric companies to submit resource adequacy plans if the state faces insufficient power supply or a "price stability event" (when PJM capacity market prices exceed projected new generation costs). These plans must prioritize renewable energy investments and address shortages through new generation or storage projects. The bill also allows utilities to recover prudently incurred costs - including stranded investments - for constructing or operating generation facilities, with a minimum annual return tied to federal transmission rates. It directly affects Maryland's investor-owned electric utilities by shaping how they plan for reliability and recover infrastructure costs.
