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Maryland Power Utilities Respond to COVID-19

Utility providers are considered essential businesses which will stay open during this state of emergency. Utilities maintain Maryland’s critical energy infrastructure. Remember to report a power outage or gas emergency as soon as you are safely able to report. Read below to learn how utilities are responding to this crisis, read on.

 

Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) – for bill assistance or power reconnect call 800.685.0123 or for power outages call 1-877-778-2222 or @MyBGE

Last week, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, BGE announced the suspension of service disconnections, the waiving of new late payment fees through at least May 1; and our contribution of $175,000 to local Maryland nonprofits as part of the $1M donation by Exelon companies nationwide to help communities.Today’s press release further highlights our response during this critical time. Beginning today, BGE will work with customers to restore power to those that have been disconnected prior to the March 13 moratorium.

As Maryland residents are working to support the social distancing needs to combat against the spread of corona virus, it is our goal that they do not have to worry about their energy needs at this time.

Customers who have had their service disconnected can contact BGE at 800.685.0123 to begin the reconnection process. Our call center team will also work with customers to help identify assistance programs for which they may qualify.

While BGE is suspending customer disconnections, there may be times when BGE must plan a temporary outage to address critical work that must be performed on our system. Emergency work, such as downed wires, may require an outage without advanced communication. We may also need to take an outage to replace or repair equipment that could cause sustained outages, if not addressed.  We will ensure that customers are notified of such work and will minimize the inconvenience as best as we can by scheduling the work during late night hours and minimizing the duration, to the extent possible. This work is critical and will only be performed if necessary.

Choptank Electric Cooperative – bill inquiries or bill pay by phone call 866-999-4574 or to report a power outage call 1.800.410.4790 or @choptankcoop

Due to growing concerns regarding the health and safety of our members, Choptank Electric Cooperative will be closing our lobbies, walk-in offices, and the Denton Drive-thru temporarily until further notice.

There are still many ways that our members can pay their bills. Those methods include our website and SmartHub, our Automated Phone Line at 866-999-4574, our drop-boxes located at our Salisbury and Denton offices, and of course we also have automated payment options which include bank draft and recurring credit card. (We accept Visa, MasterCard, and AMEX).

Delmarva Power – for bill or account help call 1-800-375-7117 or for power outage or gas emergency call 1-302-454-0317

At this time, Delmarva Power will continue to respond to requests to start, stop or more service, which in many cases, can be done remotely, without accessing customer homes or businesses. In cases where accessing a building is necessary, our employees and contractors are being advised to take appropriate action, such as wearing appropriate PPE to perform their jobs safely.

Customers may continue to conduct regular business with Delmarva Power 24/7 using delmarva.com or the Delmarva Power Mobile App. From Delmarva Power mobile app, customers can view and pay their bill, report electric outages, and register for alerts.

With our website, it’s easy to:

As always, our Customer Care team is available by phone from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, to help customers with business requests that cannot be completed online.

Easton Utilities – call 410-822-6110 or @EastonUtilities (Facebook) or @EastonUtil (Twitter) for assistance

First Energy or Allegheny Power – for customer service or power outage / emergency call 1-888-544-4877

The coronavirus health emergency is likely to disrupt our daily lives for some time to come. FirstEnergy is prepared to face this crisis, and keep power flowing to you around the clock.

Our first priority, as always, is the safety of our workers and customers. We are closely monitoring developments related to this pandemic through our internal medical consultants as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization.

Our crews are focused on serving you while putting appropriate protective measures in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Keep in mind our line workers and field personnel perform almost all of their work outside of homes and businesses, with minimal interaction with customers or the general public. When such interactions are required, appropriate preventive measures like social distancing will be in place to help protect all parties.

We know our customers’ normal routines may be disrupted during this time, from altered work and school arrangements to cancelled events and travel plans. To help customers facing financial difficulties, we have suspended all service shutoffs for past-due accounts until further notice.

If you have trouble paying your bill, we are willing to work with you. Various payment options are available, including:

  • Budget billing, a program that averages usage over 12 months to offer the same bill amount each month.
  • Energy assistance programs or other payment arrangements for eligible customers, based on their situation and state of residence.

Unfortunately, this crisis also provides an opportunity for scammers, who prey on fears to achieve their illegal gains. Please remain alert to interactions that seem improper, including calls demanding payment to avoid immediate shutoff. If you sense something isn’t right, please call your utility customer service number. You can also find information about common scams on our Scam Information page.

This pandemic is unfolding, with new information available at regular intervals. Please remain informed and keep yourself and your family safe during this time. We stand ready to assist you as we move through this situation together, and we’re committed to keeping the lights on for you.

Potomac Electric Power Company (Pepco) – for help your account call  202-833-7500 or for a power outage or gas emergency call 1-877-737-2662 or online

We are committed to performing our critical role, delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy for our customers and communities. We have robust plans to provide continued energy service for our customers and do not foresee any issues meeting our customers’ energy needs.  Importantly, Pepco is suspending service disconnections and waiving new late payment charges at least until May 1 and will be working with customers on a case-by-case basis to establish payment arrangements and identify energy assistance options.

At this time, Pepco will continue to respond to requests to start, stop or more service, which in many cases, can be done remotely, without accessing customer homes or businesses. In cases where accessing a building is necessary, our employees and contractors are being advised to take appropriate action, such as wearing appropriate PPE to perform their jobs safely.

Customers may continue to conduct regular business with Pepco 24/7 using pepco.com or the Pepco Mobile App. From the Pepco mobile app, customers can view and pay their bill, report electric outages, and register for alerts.

With our website, it’s easy to:

As always, our Customer Care team is available by phone from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, to help customers with business requests that cannot be completed online.

Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, Inc. (SMECO) – call 888-440-3311 for help with your bill or for a power outage or emergency call 1-877-747-6326 or online

SMECO has taken the following steps to comply with best practices in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

  • As of 4 p.m., Friday, March 20, SMECO’s customer service counters will be closed. We have a number of free, easy ways for customer-members to pay their bills.
  • To maintain the health and safety of our customer-members, SMECO suspended disconnecting customers for non-payment as of March 13, 2020. Members are encouraged to pay what they can to avoid a large bill later.
  • Our work is vital to the community, but our employees’ health is also important, so we are reducing the number of employees who report to SMECO’s offices by having some personnel work remotely.
  • Line workers and employees essential to maintaining electric service will report to work as usual, so that, in the event of power outages, service restoration work will not be interrupted.
  • We are suspending the use of compressed work schedules for all personnel in order to make sure we have staffing continuity and coverage.
  • To reduce the number of employees congregating in one location, we have cancelled SMECO’s March safety meetings and postponed HR and first aid training sessions.
  • We have suspended non-essential SMECO travel, and we are also discouraging non-essential personnel from entering our facilities.