​BGE provides tips to help customers avoid energy waste

BALTIMORE, (Oct. 31, 2017) – Watch out for 'energy vampires' in your home this Halloween. Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) reminds customers to practice a few simple efficiency tips that can help them save energy and money and avoid falling victim to these 'vampires'.

Vampire energy, also known as standby energy, is the energy drawn from outlets when equipment is off, but still plugged in. Many types of electronics and office equipment, including cell phones, computers, printers, game consoles, and more, continue to draw electricity when they are plugged in and turned off.

Take a bite out of vampires by following these simple energy saving tips:

• Use a power strip with an on/off switch to completely power down electronics around your home.
• Unplug your mobile phone charger, portable music player or other electronics once they are fully charged.
• Turn off all the lights when you leave the room.
• When preparing for out-of-town travel, always unplug all nonessential devices.
• Look for the ENERGY STAR^® label on home appliances, electronics and other products. ENERGY STAR^® products meet strict efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Discover where energy vampires may be haunting your home by scheduling BGE's Quick Home Energy Check-up. When you schedule a Check-up, one of our energy efficiency professionals will come to your home and check the condition of its insulation, heating and air cooling system, lighting, appliances and more to identify simple ways to help you save energy and money!

Looking for customized solutions to help you save energy and money? BGE also offers rebates for home efficiency improvements through the BGE Smart Energy Savers Program®. 　　

The BGE Smart Energy Savers Program is a suite of programs that enable customers to control energy use, leading to more efficient use of electricity and lowering energy bills. The programs have provided $464 million in rebates to BGE customers and have also helped 1.9 million residential and business participants save more than 2.8 million MWh of electricity. Collectively, the programs help contain the cost of energy and improve reliability by reducing peak demand and slowing the growth in energy consumption. Energy-saving solutions are available to renters, homeowners, large and small business customers, nonprofits and institutional customers, and more information can be found at BGESmartEnergy.com. These programs support the EmPOWER Maryland Energy Efficiency Act. EmPOWER Maryland programs are funded by a charge on your electric bill. EmPOWER programs can help you reduce your electricity consumption and save you money. Visit BGESmartEnergy.com to learn more about EmPOWER and how you can participate.