Maryland utility bills increase

Increasing heating and utility bills are hitting Washington-area and Maryland families hard this winter, and more and more families need assistance and help with their utility bills.

A hearing was help Thursday. At the hearing in Baltimore Thursday, Maryland state utility regulators, who have been flooded with countless consumer complaints on the high bills, grilled representatives from several utility and gas companies about the spike in rates.

There are numerous examples of families that have seen their utility bills double. And it is not obvious to us why people’s bills should double, said Maryland Public Service Commission chairman Douglas Nazarian.

An example is one family from Temple Hills, Md.. “Shock and awe” is how Rebecca Horace describes her extremely high utility bills, which have nearly doubled since last winter.

The Horace family claims that if anything her family has been conserving more than ever. They claim that they keep the thermostat around 67 degrees, while always remaining vigilant about turning off the lights and other devices after her children go to bed.

Despite the efforts of trying to conserve energy, their electric bill was about $730 this January, compared to the $316 bill they received in January 2008.

Some utility and gas companies have tried to offer up several explanations for the sky-high utility bill rates.

First, they say that we have had a colder winter. Electric heating systems are often less efficient in especially frigid weather than gas heating.

Other culprits for the higher utility and heating bill include higher commodity costs and longer billing periods. At least that is what they say.