DCS

Energy savings in Maryland?

Maryland energy advisory and savings.

BGE, PEPCO, Delmarva, and Potomac Edison territory with EmPOWER Maryland and community solar as standing recovery tracks.

Territory profile

State
MD
Market
Deregulated supply market
Utilities tracked
6
Programs tracked
6

Maryland commercial energy strategy operates under a deregulated supply market with four major electric distribution utilities (BGE, PEPCO Maryland, Delmarva Power, Potomac Edison) and two major gas distribution utilities (BGE Gas, Washington Gas). EmPOWER Maryland, the statewide statutory energy efficiency program funded by all the utilities under Maryland PSC oversight, runs prescriptive and custom commercial rebates with coverage levels frequently in the 25 to 50 percent range of project cost. Community solar enrollment through the Maryland Community Solar Pilot Program produces a 10 to 15 percent discount on the subscribed portion of common-area accounts; the enrollment is paperwork, not equipment. PJM Emergency Load Response capacity market participation produces monthly capacity payments for commercial sites with at least 100 kW of dispatchable load. Developments CS is headquartered in Maryland and works portfolio-wide across all the major utilities with EmPOWER, community solar, and PJM capacity as the standing recovery tracks.

Major utilities we work with

Utilities we track in Maryland

Each utility carries its own tariff book, demand structure, and program environment. The engagement maps every account against every applicable schedule.

  • Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE)

    combined

    Largest combined utility in Maryland, serving the Baltimore metro and Central Maryland on electric and gas. Commercial tariff schedules GS (general service), GS-PD (general service, primary demand), GL (large general service) carry distinct demand structures.

  • PEPCO Maryland

    electric

    Electric distribution across Prince George's, Montgomery, and parts of other counties around DC. Commercial tariffs Schedule GS-3PT (general service, three-phase), GT-LV (general transmission, low voltage), GT-MV (general transmission, medium voltage) each set distinct structures.

  • Delmarva Power

    electric

    Electric distribution across the Maryland Eastern Shore. Commercial tariffs MGS (medium general service), GS-P (general service, primary), GS-T (general service, transmission) carry distinct structures.

  • Potomac Edison

    electric

    Electric distribution across Western Maryland under FirstEnergy. Commercial tariffs GS, GP, GT set the structure; the FirstEnergy operating company carries its own tariff book.

  • Washington Gas

    gas

    Natural gas distribution across the Maryland DC suburbs, parts of Northern Virginia, and DC. Commercial rates 2A, 2B, 6 set the structure; demand-related charges apply on the larger schedules.

  • Columbia Gas of Maryland

    gas

    Natural gas distribution in Western Maryland. Smaller commercial footprint than Washington Gas but distinct rate structures.

Programs we capture

Key Maryland programs the engagement stacks into

State and utility programs that stack with the underlying tariff and procurement work to compound the annualized recovery.

  • Rebate

    EmPOWER Maryland

    Statewide statutory energy efficiency program funded by BGE, PEPCO, Delmarva, Potomac Edison, SMECO, and Washington Gas under Maryland PSC oversight. Commercial efficiency rebates on lighting, HVAC, refrigeration, controls, custom engineered projects, and retrocommissioning.

  • Community solar

    Maryland Community Solar Pilot Program

    Allows commercial accounts to subscribe to local solar project capacity and receive a credit on the utility bill at a discount. Active across BGE, PEPCO, Delmarva, and Potomac Edison territory. Enrollment is paperwork, not equipment.

  • Demand response

    PJM Emergency Load Response Program

    PJM capacity market participation for Maryland commercial accounts. Sites with at least 100 kW of dispatchable load qualify through aggregator relationships.

  • Rebate

    Maryland Energy Administration commercial programs

    State agency-administered grants and rebates for commercial efficiency, renewable energy, and combined heat and power projects. Program slate varies by funding cycle.

  • Tax credit

    Maryland sales tax exemption for manufacturing

    Maryland exempts the portion of electricity, gas, and steam used predominantly (more than 50 percent) in manufacturing or processing from state sales tax. Requires a utility study and an exemption certificate filed with the utility.

  • Rebate

    Maryland Anchor Tenant Procurement program

    Maryland program for commercial entities anchoring community solar and storage projects as offtake counterparties. Useful for portfolio operators with sustained energy demand willing to commit to multi-year offtake.

What an engagement looks like

How a Maryland engagement runs

A Maryland engagement begins with portfolio mapping across the four EDCs. BGE serves Central Maryland; PEPCO serves the DC suburbs; Delmarva serves the Eastern Shore; Potomac Edison serves Western Maryland. Each utility carries its own tariff book; commercial accounts often span multiple utilities depending on portfolio geography. The first deliverable is a tariff classification review per account.

EmPOWER Maryland is the centerpiece of the efficiency layer. The program book changes every three years on a PSC cycle; staying current on the prescriptive measure list, the custom incentive calculation methodology, and the retrocommissioning track is part of the engagement deliverable. Coverage levels for qualifying projects routinely land in the 25 to 50 percent range of project cost, with retrocommissioning at the higher end.

Community solar enrollment runs in parallel for any common-area accounts that qualify. The Maryland Community Solar Pilot Program allows commercial accounts to subscribe to local solar project capacity and receive a credit at the utility rate minus a discount (typically 10 to 15 percent). Buildings continue normal utility service; the credit appears as a separate line item on the monthly bill. For multifamily, retail, and small commercial portfolios with common-area accounts, community solar typically covers a meaningful portion of total common-area cost. PJM capacity enrollment and Maryland sales tax exemption work for qualifying manufacturers complete the standard engagement scope.

Sample finding patterns

What the pipeline catches in Maryland

Plausible examples drawn from the pattern types most commonly caught in Maryland. Specific clients are not named; utilities, tariff codes, and recovery ranges are. Recovery ranges are stated as ranges (typically the 25th to 75th percentile of the relevant cohort), never as point estimates.

  • Tariff misclassification

    BGE · GS vs GS-PD

    A Baltimore-area commercial portfolio building was billed on BGE GS (general service) but had crossed the demand-metered threshold years prior. Reclassification to GS-PD (general service, primary demand) and the associated meter swap produced an immediate $42,800 per year reduction with no operational change. Back-credit pursuit on the prior misclassified period followed under BGE's stated retroactive adjustment policy.

  • Demand ratchet exposure

    PEPCO Maryland · GT-LV (general transmission, low voltage)

    A Montgomery County commercial campus on PEPCO GT-LV had a single bad summer peak event that locked in roughly $18,400 per year of inflated demand charges across the next eleven billing cycles. Operational coordination on subsequent peak windows has prevented recurrence; the exposure documentation supports board reporting.

  • Community solar enrollment

    BGE, PEPCO, Delmarva, Potomac Edison

    A multifamily portfolio across BGE and PEPCO territory had common-area accounts that qualified for community solar enrollment but had never subscribed. Subscriptions structured to match historical usage at the building level produced a bill credit running 10 to 15 percent below the utility rate on the subscribed portion. The enrollment was paperwork only; buildings continued normal utility service.

  • Manufacturing sales tax exemption

    BGE and Washington Gas

    A Maryland manufacturer had partial sales tax exemption filings in place but the utility study supporting the qualifying use percentage was over five years old and no longer reflected current operations. A refreshed utility study expanded the qualifying percentage; the exemption certificate refiling and back-credit pursuit covered prior overpayments within the Maryland Comptroller's statute.

Related engagement archetypes

How this looks as a complete engagement

Engagement archetypes describe the pattern of work across a cohort of engagements sharing the same vertical, tariff exposure, and recovery shape.

Where to next

The disciplines that drive the work in Maryland

The Maryland engagement runs across all our standard service lines. Tariff and rate audits and billing forensics produce the immediate-cycle bill corrections; demand management and supply procurement cut the structural cost base; incentives and grants stack utility and state program funding into capital projects; tax and fee recovery surfaces back-credit on prior overpayments where qualifying use applies.

Schedule a 30-minute call about your Maryland portfolio.

Fifteen minutes with one of your Maryland bills is usually enough for us to see whether there is meaningful savings on the table.

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