May 18 marks the annual test of cycling of air conditioning and/or electric water heaters for PeakRewards participants

BALTIMORE, May 16, 2016 – Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) today announced that it will perform an annual preseason test on May 18 of the systems that cycle the central air conditioners and electric water heaters of customers voluntarily enrolled in the PeakRewards programs. PeakRewards participants receive bill credits by allowing their central air conditioner and/or electric water heater to be cycled during periods of peak electricity usage. Last summer, PeakRewards participants received nearly $23 million in bill credits.

“Each year, BGE carefully reviews all aspects of the PeakRewards program in an effort to continuously improve our system operations and communications with our customers,” said Rob Biagiotti, vice president and chief customer officer, BGE. “This annual test helps ensure our systems and customers are prepared for the summer when cycling events are likely to occur.”

PeakRewards participants have received a letter informing them of the pre-season event and that their central air conditioner (A/C) will be cycled up to their chosen level: 50, 75 or 100 percent. Customers enrolled in the BGE PeakRewards Electric Water Heater program and the Energy Saver Water Heater Switch program will also be part of this pre-season cycling event. During the event, program participants will have power to their water heater interrupted and no additional hot water will be produced for the duration of the event. Neither PeakRewards A/C nor Electric Water Heater customers will be able to override participation.

PeakRewards participants are notified of cycling events through a number of channels. Notifications will be made by email for participants who have an email address on file with BGE. Participants are also encouraged to sign up to receive event notifications by SMS text message. SMS text messages are an easy way to receive immediate notification about cycling events directly to a mobile phone.

To update contact information and notification preferences, customers should visit BGE.com/MyAccount. Information about cycling events will also be posted to the PeakRewards Event Central website, BGEsavings.com/PeakRewardsEvent. To minimize the impact, the pre-season event has been scheduled to coincide with mild temperatures between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on a weekday when many customers are less likely to be at home.

The more than 325,000 customers who participate in PeakRewards help reduce the likelihood of power outages when electricity use is highest—normally summer days with extreme temperatures. During an event, PeakRewards participants reduce BGE’s system load by approximately 417 MWs each hour; the equivalent amount of energy produced by a medium-sized power plant. For more information on how to enroll in PeakRewards, visit BGEsavings.com or call 1-888-309-PEAK(7325).

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