Delmarva Power waives late fees, suspends disconnections as customers report record winter bills

Annapolis, Feb. 7 — Delmarva Power told the Eastern Shore delegation on Friday it has taken a series of immediate measures to assist customers facing unusually high winter bills after a record January usage peak.

Marcus Beal, director of external affairs for Delmarva Power, said the company is temporarily waiving late-payment fees for January and February, has suspended disconnections for nonpayment in February and is waiving deposits for customers restoring service. "We are waiving late payment fees for both January and February," Beal said in the presentation.

What the company described

Delmarva said it has also extended call-center hours, added Saturday phone service for the foreseeable future, updated web pages with clear customer-assistance information, and scheduled community events where customers can bring bills and meet company representatives in person. The company said it will hold a customer assistance event at the Kent Island Library on Feb. 12.

Company officials told the delegation the primary driver of the recent bill increases is higher usage owing to an extended cold spell and that the system experienced an all-time winter peak on Jan. 23 of 4,106 megawatts. "It really boils down to usage," said Allison Blackwoodson, senior manager of state government affairs for Delmarva Power, noting that smart-meter tools and the company's "budget billing" option can help customers smooth large month-to-month swings.

Delegates pressed for specifics

Delegates repeatedly asked Delmarva for material they can share with constituents. Several members requested a sample or "mock" bill that shows line-by-line changes on Jan. 23 versus Jan. 24 with identical usage to aid public explanation. Delmarva's communications team told delegates it is preparing a mock bill and expected to post an itemized illustrative bill on the company website by early next week.

Delmarva representatives also said they would provide a history of recent rate changes and related regulatory filings on request. "We can get you the history of those [rate] changes," Marcus Beal said after delegates asked for a concise list of recent increases.

Company explanation of bill components

Delmarva officials walked members through typical bill components, noting that bills show two main components: supply (energy procured through regional markets or third-party suppliers) and delivery (the company's poles, wires and service costs). The company said a redesign of the bill introduced in November 2024 separated those components explicitly on the statement; the change prompted some customer calls when the separate delivery line became more visible.

On the question of what portion of recent increases are due to changes Delmarva controls versus use, a company analysis cited to the delegation attributed roughly 92% of a sample customer's $69 increase to higher usage rather than rate changes. Delmarva also told members that, high level, recent drivers included about a 1% supply change, roughly a 2% policy-related change, and roughly a 6% change tied to distribution and other company-reported items for a recent period; the company said it will provide a more precise, written breakdown on request.

Requests from the delegation and next steps

Delegates asked Delmarva to make senior leadership available for public forums; the company said senior executives have been engaging and that the company is willing to participate in town halls. Delmarva agreed to provide the mock bill, the recent rate-history documentation, and a copy of the presentation slides to delegation offices.

Bottom line

Delmarva Power said it has enacted short-term customer protections and expanded outreach while attributing much of the bill increases to unusually high winter usage. Delegation members asked the company to supply concrete materials (mock bills, rate-change history and slide decks) that members can share with constituents; Delmarva agreed to follow up with those items and to attend local customer-assistance events.