​BGE provides tips to help customers avoid energy waste

BALTIMORE, (Oct. 28, 2016) – Be on the lookout for energy vampires in your home this Halloween. Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) reminds customers to eliminate energy vampires by practicing a few simple efficiency tips that can help them save energy and money.

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 $413 million in rebates to BGE customers and have also helped 1.7 million residential and business participants save more than 2.5 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.

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BGE, founded in 1816 as the nation's first gas utility, is Maryland's largest natural gas and electric utility. Headquartered in Baltimore, BGE delivers power to more than 1.25 million electric customers and more than 650,000 natural gas customers in central Maryland. The company's approximately 3,200 employees are committed to the safe and reliable delivery of natural gas and electricity, as well as enhanced energy management, conservation, environmental stewardship and community assistance. BGE is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation's leading competitive energy provider. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, YouTube  and Flickr.