BGE Encourages Customers to Kick Off Spring Cleaning with a $50 Reward for Recycling Old Appliances through the BGE Smart Energy Savers Program®

Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) reminds customers that spring cleaning season is a great time to not only clear out home clutter, but also reduce waste, save money and take advantage of recycling rewards from the BGE Smart Energy Savers Program. BGE’s Appliance Recycling Program helps customers remove their old and inefficient, but still working, refrigerators, freezers, room air conditioners and dehumidifiers for recycling. Customers who participate can receive a $50 reward when they recycle a refrigerator or freezer and get an additional $25 bonus if they recycle a room air conditioning unit and/or dehumidifier at the same time.

A spare refrigerator or freezer in a basement or garage wastes up to 1,200 kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy and as much as $100 in electric costs every year. By recycling these old appliances, BGE customers save energy and money. In addition, through BGE’s Appliance Recycling Program, more than 95 percent of each appliance is recycled and disposed of properly, preventing usable materials from entering a landfill and decreasing the demand for raw materials, such as steel, aluminum, copper, glass and plastic. Appliance recycling also leads to a substantial reduction in emissions of ozone-depleting substances and greenhouse gases. Since its inception, the program has recycled more than 32,460 inefficient refrigerators, 6,011 freezers and 1,615 room air conditioners, saving more than 59.5 million kilowatt-hours of electricity use, the equivalent of removing the greenhouse gas emissions of over 8,600 cars from the road for a year.

BGE makes it easy for customers to recycle their old appliances. Customers contact BGE to schedule a pickup and BGE will haul away the old appliances at no additional cost. Each household is limited to recycling two refrigerators or freezers through this program. Appliances must be in working (cooling) condition and measure 10 to 30 cubic feet, which is the standard size for most refrigerators and freezers. Room air conditioning units and dehumidifiers may also be recycled through this program but only if picked up at the same time as an eligible refrigerator or freezer. Appointments are required and can be scheduled at BGERecycleMyOldFridge.com or by calling 866.898.1901.

The BGE Smart Energy Savers Program is a suite of programs that enable customers to control energy use, leading to more efficient use of electricity and lowering energy bills from where they otherwise would be. Collectively, the programs help contain the cost of energy and improve reliability. The programs also help to reduce peak demand and slow the growth in energy consumption to lessen the need for more power plants. BGE offers energy-saving solutions for renters, homeowners, large and small business customers, nonprofits and institutional customers. More information is available at bgesmartenergy.com. These programs support the EmPOWER Maryland Energy Efficiency Act.

BGE, headquartered in Baltimore, is Maryland’s largest natural gas and electric utility, delivering power to more than 1.25 million electric customers and more than 650,000 natural gas customers in central Maryland. The company’s approximately 3,200 employees are committed to the safe and reliable delivery of natural gas and electricity, as well as enhanced energy management, conservation, environmental stewardship and community assistance. BGE is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation’s leading competitive energy provider, with 2014 revenues of approximately $27.4 billion. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, YouTubeand Flickr.