Know Your Rights

Understand your rights when choosing your electricity supplier.

  • You have the right to choose a retail electric supplier or to keep all services with your utility.
  • You have the right to understand your electricity supply choices.  This website is designed to educate you about your options.
  • You have the right to change suppliers as long as your name appears on the bill.
  • You have the right to ensure that any supplier you choose is licensed with the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC).
  • You have the right to understand your bill and how it relates to the service you receive.
  • You have a right to file a complaint with the PSC’s Consumer Affairs Division (online link) if you have an unresolved dispute with a retail electricity supplier or utility.
  • You have a right to request a copy of the privacy policy of the retail electricity supplier.
  • You have the right not to be switched to a retail supplier without your consent.
  • You have a right to have the retail electricity suppliers’ MD PSC license numbers on the marketing materials you receive from retail electricity suppliers.
  • You have a right to have a retail electricity supplier contract that contains all material terms and conditions. The supplier must also give you a contract summary, on this form approved by the Maryland Public Service Commission.
  • You have a right to receive notice from your retail electricity supplier 30 days in advance of the expiration date of your existing contract. If you have an ‘evergreen’ contract, the supplier must notify you of the pending renewal 45 days before the automatic renewal is scheduled to occur.
  • You have the right to cancel a door-to-door solicitation contract within 3 business days of completing the transaction.

Who to Contact

Your electric utility (for example BGE, SMECO, etc.) is responsible for safe and reliable delivery of electricity, no matter who is supplying it.  Contact your utility for issues related to the delivery of electricity, including power outages and emergencies.  You should also contact the utility for issues related to meter reading or for billing questions not related to the retail electricity supplier charges portion of the bill.

BGE

General Inquiries: (800) 685-0123
Outages: (877) 778-2222

Choptank Electric Cooperative

Customer Service: (877) 892-0001
Outages: (800) 410-4790

Delmarva Power & Light

Customer Service: (800) 375-7117
Outages:  (800) 898-8042

Potomac Electric Power (Pepco)

Customer Service: (202) 833-7500
(7am-8pm)
Outages:  (877) 737-2662

Potomac Edison

Customer Service: (800) 686-0011
Outages:  (888) 544-4877

Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO)

Customer Service: (888) 440-3311
Outages: (877) 747-6326

If you have questions about the retail electricity supplier charges on your bill, contact your retail electricity supplier directly.

Your electricity service can be terminated for non-payment of both your utility and retail electricity supplier charges. If you receive a termination notice from your utility, you should contact your utility.

If you are unable to resolve a dispute with your utility or your retail electricity supplier directly, you may contact the PSC’s Consumer Affairs Division (CAD) online or in writing to:

Maryland Public Service Commission
Consumer Affairs Division
William Donald Schaefer Tower
6 St. Paul Street, 15th Floor
Baltimore, MD 21202

You can also contact the Office of People’s Counsel, an independent state agency that represents the interests of Maryland’s residential utility customers before the PSC. You can call OPC at (800) 207-4055.