VETO Senate Bill 1

Bill Will Have Serious Impacts for Maryland Consumers and puts 1,000 Maryland Jobs at Risk

Governor Wes Moore should veto Senate Bill 1 (SB 1). It is not a consumer protection bill; it is a blunt force instrument that will eliminate consumer choices and savings and puts the 1,000 Maryland jobs supported by Constellation Home at risk. It will also exacerbate what Governor Moore has described as Maryland’s “lazy” economy by sending a chilling message to the business community that Maryland’s leaders would prefer to eliminate entire segments of the economy rather than work with homegrown companies on common sense reforms that are good for all Marylanders.

Constellation Home technicians, including HVAC journeymen, plumbers, and other skilled tradesmen, service more than 1,000 homes across Maryland each day. Constellation Home works in conjunction with Constellation’s energy supply management to provide products and services to best serve Marylanders’ cost-saving energy needs If forced to leave the Maryland market, we will have to make very difficult decisions about the future of Constellation Home and its 1,000 Maryland employees. The impact will be felt across Maryland, where Constellation Home serves hundreds of thousands of households annually.

When Constellation became an independent company, we chose to headquarter our company in Baltimore. The only Fortune 200 company based in the City, with 3,200 employees and contractors across Maryland, Constellation has always strived to be a strong partner with the state’s leaders. We consider this to be our home, and a place where we want to invest and grow.

Together with our employees and foundation, Constellation donated more than $3.3 million to Maryland charities and volunteered more than 21,000 hours in 2023. Constellation also paid more than $36 million in Maryland state and local taxes in 2023. We are the largest producer of clean, carbon-free energy in America—producing 10 percent of all carbon-free energy generated in 2023, including approximately 90 percent of the clean energy produced in Maryland. We consider this to be our home, and a place where we want to invest and grow.

Constellation has said repeatedly that we support consumer protection measures and policies that hold bad actors in the retail electric market accountable. Constellation has served residential customers in Maryland for more than 25 years, and our customer satisfaction rating of 92 percent leads the industry, including Maryland utilities—reflecting our commitment to ethical business practices.

Constellation does not market door-to-door.
Constellation does not target vulnerable customers or communities.
Constellation does not market variable rates and, instead, promotes the stability of long-term fixed prices.
Constellation does not market or acquire customers using promotional ‘teaser’ rates.
Constellation does not trade under multiple business names.
Constellation conducts frequent reviews of customer experience metrics and trends.

While the stated intent of SB 1 is “consumer protection,” its measures to “protect” consumers make the entire retail energy market unworkable, including for the good actors.

Hundreds of thousands of Maryland households choose Constellation to supply their energy and help them use energy more sustainably. Constellation’s current rates are 8 percent lower than BG&E and 17 percent lower than Pepco. In fact, for energy supply companies with more than 2,500 customers, Constellation has had the lowest average price in the market since 2018 with approximately half of our customers choosing the certainty and stability of long-term fixed rate plans that protect them against energy price fluctuations.

Exclusively in Maryland, Constellation currently offers a guaranteed savings product, called Smart Switch, which ensures customers are paying the best rate available. Customers who subscribe to this product have experienced savings of approximately 10 percent over utility rates. Smart Switch is clearly consistent with the consumer cost-saving goals proponents of SB 1 claim as its objective, but the bill will preclude us from offering the Smart Switch service to Marylanders. Attempts to preserve this product for the benefit of consumers were ignored by the legislature.

How does taking price stability and guaranteed savings away from Maryland consumers protect them?

Constellation Home has helped hundreds of people launch good-paying skilled trade careers through apprenticeships. SB 1 puts those opportunities for Marylanders at risk.

Constellation has established apprenticeship programs with several trade schools and institutions in the Baltimore region.

Constellation Home has licensed more residential journeyman HVAC technicians than any other company in Maryland in the last two years. Constellation Home also participates in the Apprenticeship Maryland Program, hiring directly from local high schools. The company sponsored Patapsco High School in 2023 and 2024.

Constellation Home has been serving homeowners throughout Central Maryland for decades, and our customers depend on us for knowledgeable technicians, expert repairs and professional installations.

Constellation Home proudly serves the following communities:

When it comes to providing heating, cooling, electrical and plumbing services, Constellation Home is the name Marylanders have trusted for decades. Our office in Baltimore serves the greater Baltimore community with sales, installations, repairs and 24/7 emergency service. We also have offices in Frederick to deliver convenient, expert service for customers in Frederick and Montgomery Counties.

VETO Senate Bill 1

VETO Senate Bill 1

Bill Will Have Serious Impacts for Maryland Consumers and puts 1,000 Maryland Jobs at Risk

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