Report: Maryland Residential Choice Customers Paid "At Least" $137 Million More Than SOS Rates From 2013-15

Maryland residential electric customers on competitive supply paid "at least" $137 million more than SOS rates from 2013 to 2015, Laurel Peltier, a Baltimore City Resident and reporter for the publication Baltimore Fishbowl, said in public comments filed with the Maryland PSC

Peltier's comments were filed in PC 47, which is examining the potential for an opt-in affinity program in the state (see story here).

Peltier cited Energy Information Administration Form 861 data, comparing average residential rates for suppliers statewide versus an average BGE SOS rate. Peltier said this resulted in a conservative estimate as the BGE SOS rate is the, "highest in [the] state."

Peltier said the EIA data indicated that customers on competitive supply collectively overpaid $12.6 million in 2013, $61.1 million in 2014, and $63.8 million in 2015

Peltier said that, on average, supplier rates were 1.1¢/kWh above the BGE average SOS rate of 9.2¢/kWh in 2015.

See Peltier's calculations here

Peltier also summarized the data in a report in the Baltimore Fishbowl

Among other things, Peltier recommended that the PSC, "[a]nalyze 2,000 Maryland actual accounts to determine how many retail customers are paying variable rates."