Since the launch of its Smart Energy Savers Program^® in 2009, Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) has been educating customers on simple ways to reduce energy use and costs. Today, BGE marks two major milestones. First, BGE customers have bought more than 25 million energy-saving LED and CFL light bulbs, saving nearly $40 million at checkout with instant discounts. Second, BGE has performed 200,000 Quick Home Energy Check-ups in its service area, helping customers better understand their homes’ energy use and suggesting ways to save energy and money.

 “Even simple changes, like switching to a more efficient light bulb, can result in major savings for customers,” says Chris Walls, manager of BGE’s residential energy efficiency programs. BGE’s Smart Energy Savers Program offers instant discounts up to $7 off select LEDs and up to $2.25 off select CFLs. LEDs and CFLs use 70–90 percent less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs and last 10 to 25 times longer. More than 200 lighting retailers in central Maryland currently participate in the discounted lighting program.

“Customers are not only saving money on the bulbs, but also on their total energy costs,” Walls says. “In fact, customers can save up to $80 over the lifetime of each bulb. The reduced energy use also translates to less demand on the power grid and reduced air emissions, which helps the environment.”

All together, these efficient light bulbs have saved nearly $40 million and enough electricity to light more than 117,000 homes for a year. The energy savings is similar to reducing carbon dioxide emissions from more than 89 million gallons of gasoline, or saving over 4,000 railcars of coal from being burned. BGE’s Quick Home Energy Check-up is another program that helps customers save energy and money. A Check-up professional performs a one-hour walk-through of the customer’s home, examining lighting, insulation, appliances, windows and more. Once the walk-through is completed, the customer receives a detailed report summarizing important findings and recommended solutions to save energy and money. With the homeowner’s permission, the Check-up professional will install up to 22 energy-saving items, such as energy-efficient light bulbs, water heater pipe insulation, faucet aerators, efficient-flow showerheads and smart power strips, which help customers start saving immediately.

“Since 2009, customers who scheduled a Check-up have saved nearly 110,000 megawatt-hours,” Walls says. “Learning practical ways to save energy and money at home is easy and comes at no additional cost.” The lighting discounts and Check-up program are just two of the many offerings available through BGE’s Smart Energy Savers Program to help residential and business customers reduce energy use. The program, which supports the EmPOWER Maryland Energy Efficiency Act, has provided $413 million in rebates to BGE customers and helped 1.7 million residential and business customers save more than 2.5 million megawatt-hours of electricity. For more information, visit BGESmartEnergy.com.