This summer’s heat snaps have called for air conditioning, and lots of it, making it extra frustrating — and in some cases, dangerous — when Baltimore Gas and Electric announces planned power outages.

There were roughly 2,100 outages planned in 2024. They happen because BGE must power down an area to keep workers safe while they do maintenance and repair work and upgrade and install new equipment, the utility company said.

BGE notifies the affected residents and businesses by written letters, or in texts or emails if the customer has opted in to them.

But sometimes those planned outages get canceled, including at the last minute, to the irritation of customers who have made alternate plans.

Allie Lieske runs a pet care business out of her Canton rowhouse and on July 9 received a BGE text that her block would be part of a planned outage on July 23.

No AC in the middle of summer can make for a dangerous environment for pets, so she started preparing.

Lieske said she canceled clients, found a day care for her own dogs, and reserved a pet-friendly hotel for herself and a disabled pup. It all cost her about $1,000, she said.

But on the day of the outage, she got a BGE message for yet another outage planned for Aug. 7.

“I was genuinely pissed off,” Lieske said. “I did not understand why work needed to be done at 9 a.m. the middle of July during a heat wave.” She’d navigated planned, canceled, then rescheduled outages last summer, too.

Cancellations of planned outages can happen as a result of weather, often lightning or thunder, according to Nick Alexopulos, a spokesperson for BGE.

That’s the exact weather that has been a hallmark of this summer.

Updates, including rescheduled outages, are sent in a letter or email, and can be found on BGE’s website with a specific job ID, as listed in the original notification.

Service interruptions of the unplanned variety can occur as a result of extreme weather and factors such as age of infrastructure, proximity to trees and vines and the amount of energy usage in an area.

When planned, an outage should last no more than 8 hours, BGE said.

If you’re on deck for a planned outage, BGE recommends a variety of safety precautions including keeping a flashlight handy, making sure your phone and other important electronics are charged, and stocking nonperishable foods and water.

You should unplug your appliances and electronics to avoid damage, and avoid opening your fridge to preserve your food.

For pet owners, BGE’s advice is to keep your shades down and keep your pet hydrated. For people with disabilities, older individuals, or those reliant on electricity for necessary medical equipment, BGE suggests that they “have alternate arrangements in place,” Alexopolus said.

Much of Lieske’s frustration stems from the feeling that these recommendations are not enough to keep pets safe without AC in the summer heat, she said. Last-minute cancellations exacerbate her irritation.

“Nothing has irked me enough in my life to care enough to look up laws and make complaints,” said Lieske, after hours on the phone with BGE discussing their planned outages and animal welfare policies.

Lieske filed a complaint with the Maryland Public Service commission. She and Nick Frisone, a Highlandtown resident, also emailed Maryland state Senate President Bill Ferguson about their concerns over BGE outage planning.

Fewer than 1% of all complaints filed since 2022 against BGE to the Consumer Affairs Division of the Maryland Public Service Commission cited planned outages as the primary issue.

Frisone has lived in Highlandtown for his entire life and said he has never experienced as many rescheduled outages as he has this summer.

Now, he said he has a routine for every planned outage: unplugging his internet, cable box, air conditioning, and lighting, and sleeping downstairs with his family and a backup fan plugged in and ready for the power to come back on.

For a planned outage overnight July 1, it didn’t, and Frisone said the heat kept him up all night and he called out of work the next day.

Lieske cares for her neighbor Alex Zavistovich’s 14-year-old pug/chihuahua named Tiger, whose breathing trouble is worsened by the blazing heat.

Zavistovich said his Canton home reached 82 degrees during an outage in June. He works for the National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre producing radio dramas, and works out of a recording studio in his home.

“It’s not like I can just go to a Starbucks and record radio dramas from there,” Zavistovich said.