BGE vs Pepco vs Delmarva Power: Comparing Maryland Home Energy Programs

Published October 15, 2026 · Maryland Energy Rebates guides · Program details change; check current terms with your utility.

First, which utility are you actually with?

BGE, Pepco and Delmarva Power are the three largest electric utilities in Maryland and all three run programs under the EmPOWER Maryland framework (see our guide on how EmPOWER Maryland works). The programs apply to the delivery utility named on your bill, not to a retail electricity supplier you may have chosen. Roughly: BGE covers Baltimore City and much of Central Maryland; Pepco covers Montgomery and Prince George's counties; Delmarva Power covers the Eastern Shore. If your bill says Potomac Edison, SMECO, Choptank or a town utility, start on our Utility Programs page instead.

Pepco and Delmarva Power are sister companies, so their Maryland residential programs are built on the same platform and read almost identically. BGE's portfolio is organised differently and uses its own program names. The table below compares the building blocks; every line links to the utility's own program page, which is the only place to confirm current rules.

Program-by-program comparison

Quick Home Energy Check-up. All three offer a home check-up by a program contractor that may include the installation of low-cost measures. BGE: Quick Home Energy Check-up. Pepco: Quick Home Energy Check-up Program. Delmarva: Quick Home Energy Check-up Program. This is the lowest-effort way to start and often the step a program wants before bigger work.

Home Performance with ENERGY STAR (whole-home). An energy assessment first, then insulation, air sealing and related work by a participating contractor, with incentives tied to the approved scope. BGE: Home Performance with ENERGY STAR. Pepco: Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program. Delmarva: Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program. Pepco's program page states that an eligible home needs an active residential electric account and must be a single-family residence that is not a condominium or apartment, that an assessment at the same address is available once every five years, and that its current electrification offer requires the participating contractor to reserve the incentive and complete approved work within 90 days of the reservation. Expect similar structure at Delmarva; read each page for the exact wording.

Heating, cooling and heat pumps. BGE: Heating and Cooling. Pepco: HVAC Efficiency Program. Delmarva: HVAC Efficiency Program. In each case the equipment must meet the utility's efficiency ratings and is normally installed by a participating contractor. Our Heat Pump Rebates and HVAC Rebates pages explain the ratings to look for, and the heat pump checklist covers what to confirm before you sign.

Smart thermostats and demand response. BGE: Smart Thermostats. Pepco and Delmarva both run Smart Thermostat Savings (Energy Wise Rewards) (Delmarva page), which pairs a thermostat incentive with a peak-day demand response program. Read the participation terms: demand response means the utility may adjust your cooling briefly on peak days.

Water heaters and appliances. BGE lists Heat Pump Water Heaters and a general Rebates and Discounts page, plus appliance recycling. Pepco and Delmarva have an Appliance Rebate Program (Delmarva) and an Appliance Recycling Program (Delmarva). See our Water Heater page for the ratings that usually matter.

Switching from gas or oil to electric. Since the 2024 update to the EmPOWER law, utilities have added incentives aimed at replacing fossil-fuel heating and appliances with efficient electric equipment. BGE: Making the switch to electric. Pepco: Make the Switch to Electric. Delmarva: Make the Switch to Electric. These offers tend to have the most conditions (assessment, contractor reservation, deadlines), so read them carefully.

Income-eligible help. BGE: Limited Income Programs. Pepco: Income Eligible Energy Efficiency Program. Delmarva: Income Eligible Energy Efficiency Program. Statewide, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development runs the EmPOWER Limited Income Energy Efficiency Program for income-qualified households at no cost.

Where the three really differ

• Program names and structure. Pepco and Delmarva use the same names and the same rules in most cases, which makes it easier to follow if you move within their territories. BGE's names differ (for example "Heating and Cooling" rather than "HVAC Efficiency Program"), so searching for the Pepco name on the BGE site will not find the matching offer.
• Contractor networks. Each utility has its own list of participating contractors. A contractor enrolled with BGE is not automatically enrolled with Pepco. Ask the contractor which utility programs they are enrolled in before you accept a quote that counts on an incentive.
• Gas service. BGE is also a gas utility; Pepco and Delmarva Power are electric-only in Maryland (Washington Gas serves gas customers in the Pepco area). Since House Bill 1532 (2025) removes EmPOWER incentives for natural gas equipment, this mostly affects which electric alternatives are promoted, but it is worth knowing when you compare furnace and heat pump quotes.
• Deadlines and reservations. Offers with reservation deadlines (Pepco's current Home Performance electrification offer is one example) can close before the calendar year does. Check the date on the program page the week you sign, not the month you started researching.

Which program should you look at first?

For most Maryland homes the order is: a check-up or assessment first (it is cheap or free and often required later), then insulation and air sealing through the whole-home program, then heating and cooling equipment. Replacing equipment in a leaky house means buying a larger system than you would need after air sealing. If your system has already failed, the HVAC or heat pump programs are the ones to read first, and the contractor should confirm the model qualifies before installation.

How to compare quotes across these programs

1. Confirm the delivery utility on your bill and open that utility's residential page (BGE, Pepco, Delmarva Power).
2. Ask each contractor to show the program page and the model numbers the quote relies on, and to list any incentive as a separate line.
3. Check whether an assessment, pre-approval or reservation has to happen before the work.
4. Keep the AHRI certificate, invoices and any approval email; most programs ask for them.
5. If you are income-eligible, check the no-cost programs before paying for any assessment.

Our How to Apply page has the paperwork list, and How to Qualify covers what each program looks at. Program details change with each EmPOWER plan cycle, so check current terms with your utility before committing to work.