Baltimore Gas and Electric Company and other Maryland utility customers are preparing for expensive electric bills after a week of scorching temperatures — but a measure of relief is on the way, the Maryland Public Service Commission announced Friday.

As soon as August or September, each utility customer will receive an estimated $80 rebate, applied to two utility bills.

The rebates are part of the $200 million that state legislators earmarked in the Next Generation Energy Act, which passed in the 2025 General Assembly and was signed by Gov. Wes Moore on May 20. The law went into effect June 1.

One portion of the rebate is expected in August or September and the second is planned for January or February, when electricity and natural gas bills are most expensive in the dead of winter.

The Public Service Commission has “selected a plan that will allow for the most equitable, efficient and timely distribution of refunds to provide relief to customers, particularly those most affected by bill increases this past winter,” Frederick Hoover, chairman of the Commission, said in a statement.

But the $80 rebate is just an average, according to a press release from the PSC. The bill credits will be applied based on overall usage.

“Lower usage customers would see lower credits and higher usage customers would receive higher credits,” the statement says.

Only active residential utility customers as of June 1 will be eligible for the first round of the rebate. Recipients must have a recorded history of electricity usage from March 31, 2024, through March 31, 2025.

To receive the rebate, eligible ratepayers must also have an active account when the rebates are distributed in August or September.

Utility customers also have the option to redirect their rebate to those who are struggling to afford their bills. The commission has asked electric and gas utility companies to create a plan for such an option and to create messaging and promotion for it.

This is another effort to assist income-restricted Marylanders. BGE, Delmarva Power, Pepco and nonprofits across the state announced a new $19 million bill relief initiative earlier this month.

Starting next week, some low- to moderate-income BGE customers could receive between $250 and $750 through the Customer Relief Fund to help cover past-due energy bills.

The United Way of Central Maryland is in charge of distributing those grants in the Baltimore region.

BGE customers can apply and learn more about the Customer Relief fund at BGE.com/relief or call 800-685-0123.