Jeannette Mills, Sr. VP and Chief Customer Officer
 On Feb. 9, our gas pressure control crews opened the final valve on  the Southern Reinforcement natural gas pipeline ( watch the video), marking the completion of the 14-mile, underground pipeline and the end of seven months of construction.
The new pipeline runs between Clarksville and Laurel (map: http://bit.ly/pAR6C3) and reinforces the southern portion of our gas distribution network—hence the name—that serves customers in parts of five counties. We regularly reinforce our approximately 7,000-mile pipeline network with projects like this to ensure that our system keeps pace with the energy needs of more than 650,000 natural gas customers who enjoy the benefits of clean, safe and reliable natural gas.
We extend our sincere thanks to communties along the pipeline route for their support of this critical energy reliability and safety project. We greatly appreciate your continued patience and understanding during the construction. Throughout the project we were committed to keeping you updated on our activities and progress, and your feedback has been important in helping to ensure the project met the needs and expectations of the community.
Although we completed construction, restoration work continues along the pipeline route and BGE will continue to clean-up, seed and stabilize the construction corridor. We will maintain all remaining, temporary erosion control barriers until regulatory inspections determine they can be removed and we will monitor the establishment of new growth in the construction zone. (See images of the installation process on our flickr site or click the image below.)  Beyond the final clean-up and restoration work, we will operate the pipeline with our strong commitment to the protection and safety of the general public and our employees. In addition to the extensive safety measures implemented in design and construction, we will maintain the pipeline through our gas integrity management program. Ongoing inspection and maintenance includes leak surveying, cathodic protection tests, and pressure monitoring from our 24/7 control room. All of the natural gas in this pipeline and throughout our entire gas distribution network has an added odorant to make the gas detectable by scent.
Addtionally, the Southern Reinforcement pipeline will be included in our Dig Alert program which requires a BGE damage inspector to monitor any work near this pipeline and remain on standby at the job sites where there is work within 10 feet of the pipeline. You will also notice pipeline markers that have been installed to inform anyone in the vicinity that a pipeline facility is located underground. Excavators should never rely on the presence or absence of pipeline markers and should always call 811 before any digging anywhere. Our vegetation management program will also maintain a 50 foot corridor above the pipeline to keep it clear of woody vegetation so it can be regularly inspected and accessed by BGE.
As a reminder, you can report any emergencies to our customer contact center, 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. If you smell the rotten egg odor of natural gas or recognize other signs of a leak, leave the premises immediately and call BGE from a safe location at 1.800.685.0123. You can also continue to contact the project team directly with any non-emergency matters at BGEpipeline@bge.com.
Once again, thank you for your ongoing interest in this important reliability project and for your continued patience as we worked to complete it.
Jeannette
David Conn, Director of Energy Assistance
 For many of us, the crush of everyday life sometimes gets in the way of good intentions – especially when it comes to charitable giving. We learn about a cause that unquestionably deserves our support, but we occasionally fail to make it to our checkbook, write out the check, find an envelope and a stamp and put that gift in the mail. That’s why BGE today introduces a convenient program that will help you turn your good intentions into action, without so much as one extra stamp’s worth of effort. The Dollar Donation Fund allows you to make small, regular donations to the Fuel Fund of Maryland to support their mission of providing emergency assistance for low-income families, and people in crisis, who cannot pay their gas, electric or oil bills, as well as assistance with wood, kerosene, and propane. Nearly 24,000 Central Maryland individuals received support from the Fuel Fund last year.
BGE’s customers have been incredibly generous in their support of the Fuel Fund. Thousands respond every year  when the familiar green and white Fuel Fund envelope arrives in their winter BGE bills. With Dollar Donation, BGE customers will be able to choose an amount to donate to the Fuel Fund – either $1, $2, $5 or $10 a month. BGE will add that amount to your bill and when you pay your bill in full we will forward your donation to the Fuel Fund. One hundred percent of your contribution will go directly to the Fuel Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. For additional information, visit the Fuel Fund website. All of your donations to the Fuel Fund will beare tax-deductible to the extent permissible by law, and the Fuel Fund will send you a summary of your donations for your records after the end of the year. You may stay enrolled for as long as you like, change your donation amount or withdraw from the program at any time.
To enroll in the Dollar Donation Fund, simply visit bge.com/dollardonation. If you can spare a dollar – or a greater amount – each month to help your neighbors in need, consider enrolling in Dollar Donation today and turn your good intentions into good works.  We all love a good bargain, especially when it comes to high-ticket items. Those waiting to purchase a new ENERGY STAR® appliance are in luck. Maryland will eliminate sales tax on many qualified ENERGY STAR® home appliances from February 18-20 during Shop Maryland Energy weekend. In addition to the six percent tax exemption, BGE customers who purchase a qualified ENERGY STAR® appliance are also eligible for a BGE Smart Energy Savers Program® appliance rebate. If the tax-free purchase and rebates aren’t enough of an incentive, customers should also consider the long-term energy savings they will see over the lifespan of the appliance. For example, did you know that the average U.S. family washes almost 400 loads of laundry each year? An ENERGY STAR® qualified clothes washer can save you $386 on average in energy and water over its lifetime by cutting energy costs by more than a third and water costs by more than half.
The following ENERGY STAR® appliances will be tax free February 18-20, 2012:
- Air conditioners
- Boilers
- Clothes washers
- Compact fluorescent light bulbs
- Dehumidifiers
- Furnaces
- Heat pumps
- Programmable thermostats
- Refrigerators
- Solar water heaters (tax-exempt at all times now)
So if you’re in the market for a new appliance, consider purchasing ENERGYSTAR® this weekend and save energy and money.
Here’s to Energy-Efficiency Savings.
Jeannette Mills, Sr. VP and Chief Customer Officer Although temperatures this weekend were pretty frigid, overall our winter season has been significantly warmer than normal. For BGE customers, this means that heating systems can typically run less than what was required of them last year, which translates into saving money. In fact, when you compare gas usage of Nov. 2010 to Jan. 2011 with Nov. 2011 to Jan. 2012, the typical household used almost 20 percent less natural gas for this winter season. If the warmer-than normal temperatures continue, it’s expected that the total gas cost of an average residential gas customer from Nov. 2011 to March 2012 will be approximately $486 – about $100 less than the cost for this same period a year ago.
In addition to the help of warmer weather, lower commodity prices for natural gas and electricity are also contributing to customer savings. BGE’s average commodity cost for natural gas is currently estimated to be 58 cents per therm this winter compared to 62 cents per therm last winter. Likewise, the average price for electricity this winter has decreased to 8.9 cents per kilowatt hour compared to approximately 10 cents per kilowatt hour last season. This reduction has helped to lower the expected total winter electric bill to approximately $1,040 from $1,240 – a savings of about $200.
While higher temperatures and falling energy prices are helping customers save money, customers can still take measures to increase energy efficiency and savings in their own homes. Simple steps such as sealing gaps with caulk and weather stripping, replacing furnace filters monthly and lowering the thermostat can put more dollars in your pocket. Customers can also join the more than 260,000 people who’ve opted to purchase natural gas and electricity fromthird-party suppliers that may offer lower prices than BGE’s Standard Offer Service.
This winter season appears to be working in favor of savings. To learn more on how you can maximize your saving opportunities, visit our Ways to Save section or our WinterReady page. Until Next Time,
Jeannette
Jeannette Mills, Sr. VP and Chief Customer Officer
If you live in Maryland long enough, you will discover that our weather is capable of anything—from heat waves and blizzards to high humidity and hurricanes. Despite the overall mild winter we’ve had so far, it still makes sense to be prepared for severe weather—especially since Punxsutawney Phil, the weather predicting groundhog, recently announced that we will have another six weeks of winter.
Last year around this time a snow storm hit Maryland, causing outages for many customers. Our call center, linemen and support personnel worked tirelessly to keep customers informed and restore power as safely and as quickly as possible. Whether talking to customers by phone, in person, or online, the one thing we consistently hear is that the customers who were prepared for possible outages fared much better through the aftermath of the storm.
Just as BGE plans in advance for storms, we strongly encourage customers to prepare for severe weather and potential outages. For example, if you have family members with special needs, such as depending upon a life support system or other medical devices, it’s important to have a battery backup system or portable generator on site, or make arrangements to relocate before the storm. And everyone should have a well-stocked and up-to-date storm safety kit.
While we all hope that storms (and resulting outages) pass us by, it’s always better to be ready… just in case. More storm safety tips can be found below or on our storm preparation page.
Be Safe.
Jeannette
Before a Storm
- For the latest weather forecast, call the Weatherline at 410.662.9225.
- Create and review a family emergency plan prior to a severe weather event.
- Be sure to make a contingency plan for any family members with special needs, including the elderly, handicapped or those dependent on electricity for medical equipment.
- Consider filling your vehicle’s fuel tank at your neighborhood gas station.
- If you rely on well water, consider filling a bathtub with water in advance of severe weather.
- Keep a storm safety kit handy and well-stocked. (add a list of suggested contents)
- Customers using generators should follow manufacturer instructions and be sure to locate generators in a well-ventilated area.
After a Storm
- If you lose service, notify BGE immediately at 1.877.778.2222. The number connects you to BGE’s Speech Activated Outage Reporting system. By entering the telephone number associated with your account, BGE is able to determine your location.
- Stay away from any downed power lines. Call BGE immediately at 410.685.0123 if you see any wires that are down. If a wire falls across your vehicle while you are inside, do not get out until emergency help arrives and they instruct you that it is safe to exit.
- Tune into local radio stations for safety and status reports.
Jeannette Mills, Sr. VP and Chief Customer Officer
 As part of BGE’s recent upgrade to the customer care and billing system, we fine tuned the Budget Billing program to give participants an even more consistent average monthly bill. Leveling out utility payments throughout the year helps customers to better anticipate costs and balance increased energy use when temperatures are at extremes against milder months when energy use is lower.
With this fine tuning, your Budget Billing payment is compared more frequently to your actual usage. Going forward, your Budget Billing payment will be based on your average bill over a 12-month period, instead of the previous calculation that used 11.5 months. As a result of these changes, you won’t make large overpayments or large payoffs throughout the year. Instead, you will get a more consistent bill for your budget.
We’ve also changed where we display the Budget Billing information on the bill. We now include your credit or payoff balances in the “Important Information about Your Bill” section on the left side of the first page of your bill ( see example bill). This is where you can see the difference between what you have paid and what you have used. One important change is that the credit calculation no longer factors in your next, anticipated payment as it did previously. Today’s calculation only includes payments, credits, interest and energy use, and is a more accurate reflection of what you owe or are owed.
What has not changed is the fundamental purpose of the Budget Billing program: to help you better anticipate your energy costs. Also, any credits or underpayments that you accumulated prior to the program update have been carried over.
If you have questions about BGE’s Budget Billing, please review our Budget Billing fact sheet which includes frequently asked questions about the recent program update. You can also watch a video explanation of the Budget Billing program by one of our Customer Contact Center employees. If you have specific account questions, these can be directed to us at 410.685.0123 or mybillingrep@bge.com or myhomerep@bge.com. Please note that with BGE’s recent billing system upgrade, there may be higher-than-usual call and email volumes as we assist customers with the transition.
We appreciate your patience as we continue to make upgrades like this to help you better manage your energy costs.
Anita Jackson, BGE Director of Economic Development and President of the Constellation African American Network (CAAN)
 On January 16, numerous BGE employees and their families will spend the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday volunteering throughout various communities.
At BGE, we take great pride in our record of community responsibility. We not only have a long-standing tradition of community support as a company, but we also encourage and support employees who find ways to make their communities better. Volunteerism, fundraising and in-kind donations are just some of the ways our employees give back and the Martin Luther King Day of Service is a prime opportunity for us all to do something for others.
BGE (and Constellation Energy) employees will join together to spend all or part of the day supporting the work of local non-profits. Some of the projects we’ll be assisting with include helping paint Barclay Elementary Middle School, assisting with the Moveable Feast program to provide meals to less fortunate families; and helping with preparations for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade.
On any day, community service helps to make real differences in the lives of many. On this special day, however, it also serves as a way to transform the ideas of Dr. King into action to help encourage communities to work together.
As BGE joins hundreds of thousands of people volunteering across the nation, we encourage everyone to find ways to get involved. Click here to learn more about the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and to find a project in your own community to support.
Let’s make a difference together.
Anita
Jeannette Mills, Sr. VP and Chief Customer Officer
For the past week, we have been upgrading our account billing system to streamline our internal processes which will enable us to provide customers with more efficient customer service.
A system upgrade of this complexity creates challenges and temporary inconveniences for some customers, and we are working diligently to resolve any issues that arise. We thank our customers for their patience as we work to complete our upgrade.
During our transition to the new system, some customers experienced delays with being able to access their account and pay their bill. We apologize for the inconvenience. Rest assured, our contact center representatives are working diligently to help affected customers by extending due dates and addressing related fees for those who notify us that they were unable to pay their bill due to the system upgrade. We’ve increased staffing to assist with higher-than-usual call and email volumes.
Communicating with customers is extremely important to us, and you may have learned about this change in several ways, including BGE’s Connections customer newsletter, emails, letters and phone calls. We also shared information about the system upgrade through our social media channels. We will continue to communicate with customers through a variety of methods to keep you updated on our progress.
To learn more about our system changes, please review our Frequently Asked Questions section. There, you can learn more about how our upgrade may affect you.
If you have specific questions regarding your account, please send an email to mybillingrep@bge.com and a representative will respond as soon as possible.
Thank you again for your patience. We look forward to continuing to serve you.
Matt Buecker - Associate, Marketing
 Every new year brings opportunities for change. While we make our new resolutions, one item that we might want to consider is finding smarter ways to use energy. Practicing conservation and becoming energy-efficient not only provides individual benefits, but reduces our carbon footprint, decreases our use of certain fuels and helps the environment and society as a whole.
So what are some of the ways we can all use energy more wisely? Let’s start at home.
You’ve probably already heard that simple weatherization measures and cutting back on the thermostat can help lower heating (and cooling) bills. In addition, unplugging and shutting off less obvious energy consumers at the power strip (like cellphone chargers that aren’t being used and video game consoles) can also help. Also, switching over to energy-efficient lighting (like CFLs and LEDs) can reduce energy use and add significant savings for your household.
While you explore ways to increase your energy efficiency, remember that cutting back on energy consumption doesn’t have to end at home. While you are in the office look to conserve energy by turning off lights, computers, and any other electronic device when not in use. Go paperless and eliminate the energy used to print files by saving documents digitally and eliminate faxes and copies. Plug computers and other equipment into power strips and make sure they are turned off at the end of the day.
Whether or not you’re into New Year’s resolutions, a commitment to smart energy use is one change that can pay off beyond 2012.
Happy New Year
Matt
Jeannette Mills, Sr. VP and Chief Customer Officer
If you look closely at your next BGE bill, you will notice you have a new account number. This is because we recently updated our customer support and billing management system. Our system now combines several software programs where we stored customer data, so our customer care representatives are able to provide you with more efficient service. For example, now when you call, we will be able to more quickly see what you have called about before and the outcome of that call, if we are currently doing or planning any work on your property, and whether you have any specific requests for us. 
The billing portion of our upgrade has also enabled us to provide enhanced service to customers. If you receive a hard copy bill and choose to pay your bill online through bge.com, you can now schedule automatic monthly payments – so you won’t need to log on each month to take care of your bill. (For bge.com customers, who receive electronic bills, please remember to re-enter your banking information in the new system as we will need to have this in the upgraded system. As part of the upgrade process, this only has to be done once).
For those customers on the Budget Billing program which spreads out your annual bill into manageable monthly installments, we will review your bill more often and make the necessary adjustments, so your “true ups” that align averages with actual usage are more consistent.
Please note that for the next few weeks, there may be longer than usual wait times when you call us as we assist our customers with the transition to the upgraded system. We appreciate your patience with any temporary inconvenience and look forward to providing you with even better care when we have fully completed the transition.
Jeannette |
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