In July, my electric bill crossed a number I never thought I’d see: over $500. Yes, it was a brutally hot month, but we’ve had very hot summers before in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. We’ve run the air conditioning nonstop before and never reached even $400.

What’s going on?

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A few things. Let’s start with this week’s announcement by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore of a $2 million “Residential and Commercial Energy Storage Program.” The idea is to offer rebates to homeowners and businesses that install battery systems, which can store energy and reduce strain on the grid. Moore says, “When we invest in clean energy, we help expand supply.”

That all sounds nice. But here’s the problem: Every “investment” like this costs money, our money, and it hasn’t lowered a single bill so far. In fact, it’s done the opposite. Almost laughable is another planned “solution” to the energy crisis: Maryland utility customers will receive a rebate on their bills next month, estimated at about $40 per household, depending on electricity usage. A second rebate is planned for January. 

On June 1, utility rates across Maryland jumped. Baltimore Gas & Electric, Pepco, Delmarva Power — pick your provider, the story’s the same. We were told it’s because of supply problems and the need for infrastructure upgrades. The reality? The state continues to remove reliable, always-on energy sources and replace them with more expensive alternatives that can’t carry the load on their own. We’re importing more energy from other states at higher rates and paying for that gap via higher bills.

The jump we saw in our bills this summer isn’t a one-time bump. Maryland is part of a regional power grid called PJM. Recently, the price PJM charges to ensure there’s enough power cleared at the maximum allowed rate. Translation: In 2026, we’ll see another increase, 1.5% to 5% higher on top of what we’re already paying now. And that’s just the short term. With the growing demand from massive data centers sucking up power, Reuters reports bills in our region could climb 30% to 60% by 2030.

The Office of People’s Counsel, the agency responsible for protecting us, has already warned that bills are “spiraling.” And yet, instead of hitting pause and figuring out how to bring costs down, our leaders keep rolling out shiny new programs with nice-sounding names that won’t put a dent in the bill sitting on my kitchen counter.

Let’s be honest: A $2 million battery rebate fund in a state with six million residents isn’t going to fix anything. It’s a press release, not a solution. The handful of people who get the rebates will be happy for a short time, but the rest of us will just keep watching the numbers climb on our monthly statements. 

There’s a fundamental question that nobody in the state capital of Annapolis seems willing to answer: Why are we dismantling the existing energy sources before the replacements are ready? It’s like selling your car before you’ve figured out how to get to work on Monday!

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Moore’s team keeps promising that if we just pay more now, we’ll save later. But for a lot of families, there’s no extra room in the budget to pay more now. Later doesn’t help when the bill is due today.

Maryland needs a forward-thinking energy plan that starts with affordability. Until that’s the priority, these programs aren’t helping. They’re just distractions from the fact that every month, more and more of us are staring at electric bills that make our eyes pop.