Our apartment complex has signed up everyone for this program without asking. We had to call BGE to opt out (we have a newborn and don't want any "big brothers" playing with our a/c). Just wondering how many of those 75,000 were involuntary and maybe even don't know they're in the program?..

Jay,

Wait till we get a few 90 degree days in a row. Your cooling load was designed for the hottest days of the year.

When you start to cycle off your A/C 20 minutes every hour then you will notice it or perhaps your wife will.

Don

My cynical side tells me that Peak Rewards give Constellation Energy an opportunity to wheel and deal in the wholesale electricity market at a time when supply is short (and at the expense of BGE customers since there is an added charge to pay for the program).

The other side of the issue for me is that we just upgraded our A/C two years ago to a nice SEER 14 unit (with a programmable thermostat). I don't want technician hurrying the job (since he has a million of these things to do) and breaking my equipment.

Bottom line, if you want to cut consumption and lower your bill, raise your A/C thermostat, lower your water heater thermostat, and hang you clothes out to dry in the summer (Ikea has some nice folding clothes hangers).

I've been in the Peak Rewards program since I bought my house, nearly six years ago. Truth be told, I believe the previous owner enrolled and it just continued when I switched on service. I don't remember signing up for anything.

Since I typically leave my AC off during the day when I'm not at home and turn it on in the evenings around 6 pm when the second floor is sweltering hot. Even then, the AC is set at around 76 degrees.

I haven't experienced any "big brother" activity with my unit or anything else, so it has been a pleasant experience for me so far. The only time I realize I'm in the program is when I see my bill and it has the discount included.

Jay, I thought you enrolled in the Washington Electric Program

Are you also employed as a publicist for BGE? This post serves up BGE's words without scrutiny.

Does "signing up" include coming home one day to find a gadget with a little green light attached my central AC unit without my prior approval? If so, then I guess I "signed up".

"Peak Rewards" for "Smart Energy Savers" sound like spin-words for people stuck on the short end of rolling black-outs. I've already experienced a full-blown black-out in my neighborhood last weekend; I can't wait to see what great BGE service holds in store for me once Summer actually starts.

As for reducing the need for polluting plants, I'll bet if we all set our AC thermostats to 85 degrees we'll cut our demand substantially. Seriously, if BGE wants to reduce grid demand, they and the state of Maryland should provide incentives for people to buy solar panels, which will create ample electricity during the long, sunny days of Summer.

I don't have the stomach for feel-good propaganda from an underegulated monopoly that even after jacking up its customer rates can't keep its financial affairs in order to the point where they botch a bailout with Warren Buffett and pass this cost onto their "loyal" customers.

Hi Danielle: You can be in Peak Rewards AND buy electricity from an alternative supplier like WGES. Peak Rewards is a BGE program, and BGE is always your electricity delivery co. no matter whom you buy it from.
Hi Plug: Peak Rewards-style cutoffs is by far the cheapest way to reduce peak electricity usage and cut costs. The state and Feds already have big incentives to buy solar, and solar is still too expensive for most households.

What I haven't seen yet is a comparison of the old and new programs. I've been getting $5.00 for the hot water switch for a dozen years, now they are cutting it to $3.50 and offering me a different program to get the higher credit. Must be something buried in the fine print somewhere.

If you don't already know that BGE now has a program called BGE Smart Energy Savers Quick Home Check-up (ITS FREE) We had one done and it was GREAT!
A tech comes to your home and goes room by room and will tell you things you can do to save even more energy. They even give you free stuff like CFL lightbulbs, Faucet aerators, Low Flow shower head, hot water heater Jacket, and pipe insulation!
Its a wonderful service! The fasted way to schedule one is by calling the office directly at 410-472-9955. Thats how I scheduled mine! All those things installed really made a difference!

I enrolled in Peak Rewards 100% level in Dec 2008 and had my thermostat installed in Feb 2009. However, I have NOT received any credits on my bill for June or July. Turns out my account is stuck in a "pending" status and not "enrolled." A supervisor told me yesterday there is a spreadsheet with over 100 names on it of customers not receiving their credits. He then alleged there are only 2 staff to fix this problem and if i am lucky i will get my credit in Sept. what a great program.

Wasn't asked about enrolling in the program and spent the last 5 days roasting in my home. I have watched the temperatures in my home rise to over 80 degrees wondering if there was something wrong with my AC. Spoke with a neighbor and found the box installed outside. Fairly annoyed with BGE and will be looking for an HVAC person to come and remove the box. Nice that BGE didn't bother to ask if I might have pets or a family member at home during the day that might not tolerate the heat. I have a brand new energy saving heat pump with a programmable thermostat - think that should do the trick.

Hi Jay,

We enrolled last year and didn't have too much trouble. Today the A/C was cycled off at 11 am and has yet to come back on. My account services says the A/C was cycled off from 11 am to 6:45 pm, yet the thermostat still reads "savings", which means it's cycled off. I can't seem to adjust it online or at the thermostat.

I can't get through on the PeakRewards line or the regular customer service number for BGE. I wonder how many other customers are affected this way today? I'm thankful I only have a couple of hardy teens and three pets in the house, no old or sick folks. But I don't like how BGE told us our A/C would be cycled for "brief periods" and is leaving us without cooling for 8 hours (so far) on the hottest day of the year. Think you could find out if this is affecting others as well?

Thanks,

Michelle

Enrolled in the Peak Rewards program in 2010. I have 2 AC units (1 main floor and 1 sleeping floor). Here's my experience:

(1) BGE promised they would never turn both units off simultaneously. This was not the case. On July 22nd, 2011 the HOTTEST day of the year (in MD), at 102 degrees, BGE turned BOTH units off for upwards of 8 Hours. It's going into the 9th Hour, and we still have a RED light on the outside boxes, meaning that the power to BOTH units are off.

Tried to call the 888-309-7325 hotline to report a problem, and also request that they power us back on. Of course, you cannot get through, it's BUSY.

(2) If you opt into the program, BGE has a report on their Website which shows the history of use (they call it cycling record). This record is not accurate. It varies by as much as three hours. When it says your system cycled 1 hour in that day, our experience has shown that the actual unit did not come on for another 2-3 hours after the cycling period had completed.

(3) This is a BIG one . When they attempt to cycle the Units back on, the compressor power is cycled on/off, on/off repeatedly for about 5 minutes, before engaging. I don't know if this is a RF problem w/ their system, or what, but that can't be good for a compressor.

(4) I don't know how much good this Peak Rewards program is for BGE, but it's not a good deal for the Homeowner. Turning off a compressor on Hot days, allowing a house to heat up about 20-30 degrees above normal, and then asking the compressor to run 10-15 hours is probably not the right thing to do.

(5) We opted out.

well, they shut off the a/c for 3 hours this afternoon and the temp in the house shot up to 85. Now it's going to take 12 hours with the a/c on full time for the house to cool down to 75 degrees.........so much for saving energy.