Heaters are running more than usual as Baltimore sits under inches of snow and single-digit temperatures from Winter Storm Fern — an unusual cold snap that will trigger some of the area’s highest utility bills yet.

You’ve dialed down the thermostat, committed to sweaters in the house and maybe even added weather stripping. But those savings tips may not be enough to make your gas and electricity affordable.

That’s because Baltimore Gas and Electric bills are escalating, both from higher winter usage and recently increased delivery rates and supply costs.

BGE hiked rates Jan. 1 as part of the multiyear plan the Maryland Public Service Commission approved in 2023. The utility company estimates this hike will cost the average electric customer $1.07 per month and the average gas customer $2.06 per month. BGE does not control the cost of supply.

Can’t pay right now? The Public Service Commission recently prohibited turnoff notices from Dec. 30 through Feb. 28 as temperatures stay below freezing.

Still, utility charges will accrue, and some people are worried they won’t be able to afford their bills in the future.

BGE has programs that its customers can turn to, and the state has more for low-income Marylanders.

What BGE is offering

Budget billing

BGE recommends its budget billing program to customers who want to flatten their bills, keep payments more affordable and avoid those seasonal spikes.

The utility company averages a customer’s past 12 months of bills to come up with a consistent monthly charge. Budget billing is open to residential and small commercial customers.

BGE reviews budget billing accounts every quarter, and customers may see their bills adjusted throughout the year.

Deferred payment arrangement plan

Are your bills past due, and do you need more time to pay? BGE has an option for eligible customers to pay their overdue bills in installments.

This program is for customers who owe less than $5,000, are not currently on a payment plan and have not defaulted on a previous plan in the last 18 months.

A down payment on the arrangement is required, but it can stretch out the overdue balance over 12 months or less.

Fuel Fund

Formerly part of BGE, the Fuel Fund of Maryland nonprofit was born out of a nationwide energy crisis that impacted oil prices and sent energy bills soaring.

The 45-year-old organization uses donations from the community to assist BGE customers with their bills. In 2025, the Fuel Fund distributed over $1.2 million in grants to more than 3,330 households in the BGE service territory.

Half of those they assisted had no power, the organization wrote this month.

Grants from the Fuel Fund do not cover the full balance owed to BGE but can help lower the amount.

There are lots of requirements to access the fund. BGE customers must have a residential account, be a first-time applicant, either have no service or an active turnoff notice, not be on a payment plan and have made at least four payments to BGE.

Applications are open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to noon, and the daily applications are capped based on available funding that day.

Statewide programs

Maryland Energy Assistance

The state has a program to provide low-income households with a one-time annual credit paid to utility companies on behalf of homeowners and renters.

Eligibility and credit amount are determined by household size, income and how the home is heated. For example, the maximum annual income for a two-person household that wants to use this program is $42,300.

The Maryland Department of Human Services’ Office of Home Energy Programs, which administers this grant, can also work with people who pay their heating costs to landlords instead of the utility company.

Utility service protection

Low-income Marylanders who are eligible for the Maryland Energy Assistance Program may also use the Office of Home Energy Programs’ utility service protection that prevents some shut-offs from November to March, regardless of temperature.

Participants must enroll in their utility company’s budget billing program to receive benefits and make monthly payments toward their utility bills.

Electric Universal Service

Electric customers have an opportunity to tap into grant funding for their bills.

Maryland households at or below 200% of the federal poverty level may be eligible for a credit that covers a portion of current and past due electric bills. It can be paid as a one-time sum or be divided into 12 monthly bill credits.

Like the Maryland Energy Assistance Program, this is a once-a-year grant that’s dependent on household size and income. But annual energy usage is another factor.

Arrearage Retirement Assistance

Some households could get up to $2,000 for past-due bills.

Those who want to take advantage of this one-time bill credit must also be eligible for the Maryland Energy Assistance and Electric Universal Service programs, have a past-due balance of at least $300 and have their name on the utility account.

Grants in this program can be applied for only once every five years, but there are exceptions, according to the Office of Home Energy Programs.