The short answer
To switch electricity in Maryland, visit mdelectricinfo.com or psc.state.md.us, enter ZIP, identify your utility (BGE, Pepco, Delmarva, Potomac Edison, SMECO, Choptank), and compare against the SOS (Standard Offer Service) rate. 3-business-day cooling-off period applies. New rate kicks in at next meter read (30-45 days).
Maryland deregulated retail electricity in 1999. Five investor-owned utilities + one cooperative serve the state: BGE (Baltimore metro), Pepco (DC suburbs), Delmarva Power (Eastern Shore), Potomac Edison (western MD), Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO), and Choptank Electric Cooperative. Maryland sits inside PJM, so capacity-auction prices flow through to delivery charges.
Maryland utility territories
BGE: Baltimore metro + central MD. About 1.3 million electric + 700,000 gas customers. Largest MD utility.
Pepco: Washington DC suburbs in MD. About 580,000 customers. Delmarva Power: Eastern Shore. About 210,000 MD customers (also serves DE).
Potomac Edison: western MD (Hagerstown). About 250,000 MD customers. SMECO: southern MD cooperative. About 170,000 customers. Choptank: rural Eastern Shore cooperative. About 50,000 customers.
How to switch in Maryland
Step 1: visit mdelectricinfo.com. Enter ZIP, identify utility, see SOS rate. Step 2: review supplier offers. MD PSC licenses every supplier.
Step 3: enroll, EDI 814, switch at next meter read (30-45 days). Step 4: 3-business-day cooling-off period.
PJM context — capacity charges flowing through to Maryland bills
Maryland is fully inside PJM, the regional grid operator that covers the Mid-Atlantic and parts of the Midwest. The 2026 PJM capacity auction cleared at decade-high prices ($269.92 to $329.17 per MW-day across most zones). That increase is flowing through to Maryland residential bills with a 6 to 18-month lag, primarily on the delivery side rather than the supply line.
Locking your supply rate insulates the supply line from wholesale spikes for the duration of the contract. It does not insulate the capacity charge or other regulated delivery components. The capacity-charge-line-item-explained guide walks the mechanic; the capacity-market-pjm-ercot-explained guide explains why the auction cleared so high.
For Maryland households watching bills rise in 2026, the structural cause is often capacity charges (delivery side) rather than supply. Locking a fixed supply rate is still worthwhile because it removes one driver of volatility, but customers should understand that part of the bill increase is coming from a regulated delivery component that no supplier shopping can eliminate.
Infographic
PJM capacity charge flow — auction price to Maryland customer bill
Maryland renewable and efficiency incentive stack
Maryland offers some of the strongest residential renewable incentives in the country. The Residential Clean Energy Grant pays $1,000 per qualifying solar installation. The state Renewable Portfolio Standard creates Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs) that residential solar owners can sell into the compliance market for $50 to $250 per megawatt-hour over 15 years. The solar-incentives-by-state-2026 guide breaks down the full stack.
Maryland also runs a residential energy storage tax credit at 30 percent of installed cost up to $5,000 per system, which stacks on top of the federal Residential Clean Energy Credit. For Maryland homeowners considering battery backup, the combined stack often makes payback work that would not work in lower-incentive states. The solar-battery-backup-cost-payback guide covers the math.
EmPOWER Maryland is the state energy efficiency program funded through a small surcharge on every electric bill. It pays rebates for heat pumps, smart thermostats, EV chargers, induction stoves, and insulation upgrades. Many programs stack with federal IRA rebates. Check empowermaryland.com for current rebate amounts.
Verifying suppliers and avoiding scams in Maryland
The Maryland Public Service Commission licenses every retail electric supplier that operates in the state. The supplier license database is at psc.state.md.us. Always verify license status before signing any contract. The supplier-license-how-to-verify guide walks the verification process.
Door-to-door sales are common in Maryland, particularly in BGE and Pepco territories. Reps must show PSC ID badges and provide written disclosures. Never sign at the door without verifying the supplier license against the PSC database. The cooling-off-period-energy-supplier-rights guide covers your 3-business-day cancellation right.
Slamming complaints (being switched without authorization) and unauthorized rate changes are reportable to the PSC consumer-complaint division. Maryland PSC actively investigates and fines suppliers for slamming. If you suspect your account was switched without consent, file a complaint immediately at psc.state.md.us.
Recap
Bottom line
Maryland has a mature competitive electricity market with six regulated utilities (BGE, Pepco, Delmarva, Potomac Edison, SMECO, Choptank) and dozens of licensed competitive suppliers. The single biggest 2026 dynamic is rising PJM capacity charges flowing through to delivery lines, which is driving bill increases of 8 to 15 percent regardless of supplier choice. Locking a fixed supply rate is still worthwhile to insulate the supply portion, but it does not eliminate the capacity-charge component.
For most Maryland households, the cleanest plan is: lock a 12 to 24-month fixed supply rate ahead of the next BGE or Pepco SOS reset, layer in EmPOWER Maryland efficiency rebates (smart thermostat, heat pump if eligible), and consider rooftop solar if your roof works given the strong stacked incentive package. The how-to-switch-energy-supplier and solar-incentives-by-state-2026 guides walk both paths.
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