Electric rates may be 8 percent lower this winter than last, but an unusually cold December has likely erased those savings and will deliver unexpectedly high heating bills this month, utility officials said.
BGE said Friday that Central Maryland shivered at or below freezing for 458 hours in November and December. That was almost 43 percent more than for same period in 2009. December 2010 was the 8th coldest since 1950. Heating degree days for Baltimore ran 16 percent above average.
Customers with heat pumps will see their bills jump the most because temperatures below freezing trigger their electric auxiliary heaters. The utility urged customers to set their thermostats at 68 degrees or lower. Tips for coping with winter's cold can be found in the "Winter Ready" section of the BGE website.