Smart Energy Solutions

Current Campaigns

Energy Efficient Maryland

Energy efficiency is the fastest and most affordable way to meet our energy needs, and we are working to make sure Maryland meets its goal of reducing energy use 15 percent by 2015 through energy efficiency and conservation. More.

No New Nukes

Constellation Energy has proposed building a new nuclear power plant on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. The new reactor would be expensive, threaten public health, and damage the environment. Maryland PIRG is advocating for safer and more affordable energy solutions. More.

Overview

More than a decade ago, powerful energy companies rewrote the rules that dictate how energy is bought and sold in Maryland. That decision continues to haunt us today.

Marylanders pay high electric bills, suffer from unfair pricing mechanisms that gouge consumers without offering benefits, and our electric grid is strained to the point where we could be facing brown-outs in the coming years.

There is a better way. By adopting consumer oriented rules to govern our electric system, making smart investments in energy efficiency and clean local sources of energy, decision-makers can lower bills, create local clean energy jobs, reduce our dependence on expensive and unsafe sources of energy, and improve the reliability of our electric grid.

Maryland PIRG is working to chart the path toward a smart, reliable and affordable energy future for our state.

News

Allegheny Power Behind on Efficiency Goals 4/15/2010

BGE Behind on Energy Efficiency Goals 4/14/2010

Pepco Behind on Efficiency Goals 4/14/2010

Newsroom

Reports

Utility Work Ahead: A First Look At Progress Toward Meeting EmPOWER Maryland Goals 4/14/2010

The High Cost of Nuclear Power 3/31/2009

Powering Maryland's Future: How Clean Energy Outperforms Nuclear Power in Delivering a Reliable, Safe and Affordable Supply of Electricity 7/15/2008

More Reports

Results

• In 2007, Maryland PIRG helped pass energy efficiency standards for seven household and commercial appliances, including walk-in refrigerators and freezers as well as furnaces installed in new homes. The bill will save consumers millions of dollars in energy costs.

• In 2004, the Maryland PIRG-backed Clean Energy bill was signed into law by then Gov. Robert Ehrlich, requiring Maryland utilities to ramp up the amount of renewable energy they use from less than 1 percent to 7.5 percent by 2018.