As a subscriber, I always enjoy your articles about saving energy, and I have a few comments about the article "Programs help Marylanders save on electric bills," June 25. First of all, I agree with the PSC to not make me pay for the smart meter just to tell me how much I use and for them to eliminate meter readers. If they want to automate my bill then they should pay for the new meters.

I am very aware and efficient when it comes to giving BGE any more money than I have to. I have done everything possible to cut that amount down. Making me pay for a meter to tell me how much I use won't help me at all. I have a split foyer here in Catonsville and my budget plan is $195 a month with a service contract. Now, with this heat wave, I am sure it will go up.

By the way, I just replaced my programmable thermostat with the old-fashioned kind. Every time I turned the AC off I had to make it stop going to program mode. Also, I could not read the display even after replacing the batteries. Since I am semi-retired, I control it myself. I think the suggestion of these are just a marketing ploy to sell unneeded ones.

Now on another subject. Recently I broke one of my rules and went to the O's game. I swore I would not go again until they put a decent team on the field. A friend of mine was getting a group together and I went because it was a celebration for the great 1970 World Series winning team. So I gave Angelos $9 of my money and bought one $7 beer. I don't plan on going again this year. We stayed for five innings then left for one of the local watering holes, where I got a beer for $3.

During the game, on a bright sunny day, the field lights were on. I would like to know why? If my A/C is cycled on and off during peak times, why then do they have about 1,000 bright lights on in the middle of the day?

Also, every time I ride past both stadiums during the day, there are lights on. The light over the entrance to the sections at the Ravens stadium are always on for some reason. The stadium is only used about 12 times a year and mostly during the day, so why are these lights always on? Doesn't this wasted use raise the bill for everyone no matter who pays for it? Also, I think the parking lots for both stadiums are on all night for some strange reason.

With many people not getting newspapers, I think it would be wise for you to have a weekly column on energy waste where readers can ask questions like mine and you guys check into it.

Joe Heldmann, Catonsville