BALTIMORE - BGEwill hold its annual preseason test cycling event tomorrow on the central air conditioners of customers who voluntarily enrolled in the BGE PeakRewards programs. PeakRewards participants receive bill credits of up to $100 during cycling season for allowing BGE to cycle their central air conditioners during periods of peak electricity usage. Last summer, PeakRewards participants received over $20 million in bill credits. To minimize the impact on customers, tomorrow's cycling test has been scheduled to take place between 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. when temperatures are milder.

"In an effort to continuously improve our system operations, BGE carefully reviews all aspects of the PeakRewards program every year," said Tamla Olivier, chief customer officer for BGE. "This annual program is essential to help ensure our customers and systems are prepared for summer when cycling events are most likely to be called. Proactive customer communications are an extremely important component in this process and aligns with our commitment to distinctive customer service."

Letters were sent to PeakRewards participants informing them of the preseason event and that their central air conditioner or heat pump will be cycled up to their chosen level: 50, 75 or 100 percent during the event. PeakRewards participants will be unable to override participation in this test event. Customers with medical or other issues that may be impacted by program participation or who require assistance should call the PeakRewards customer hotline at 1.888.309.PEAK (7325).

Cycling events will typically occur during the summer months of June through September but can happen during other months throughout the year. Cycling typically occurs Monday through Friday but the actual start and end times, duration, and day of the week of each cycling event varies. The length of a cycling event will depend on the need for BGE to reduce electric demand. Cycling events generally begin early afternoon and could last seven hours or longer depending on the need to reduce peak electric demand to prevent brownouts and blackouts through the Mid-Atlantic region.

PeakRewards participants are notified of cycling events through many channels. Notifications will be sent by email or text for participants who have requested to receive PeakRewards cycling event alerts. Participants are encouraged to sign up to receive event notifications by SMS / text message. SMS text messages are an easy way to receive immediate notification about cycling events directly to a mobile phone. To update contact information and notification preferences, customers should visit BGE.com/MyNotifications. Information about cycling events will also be posted to the BGEsavings Events Page.

The more than 300,000 customers who participate in PeakRewards help reduce the likelihood of power outages when electricity use is highest-normally summer days with extreme temperatures.

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BGE is Maryland's largest natural gas and electric utility, providing safe and reliable energy delivery to more than 1.3 million electric customers and more than 680,000 natural gas customers in central Maryland. The company was founded in 1816 as the nation's first gas utility and remains headquartered in Baltimore City to this day. BGE is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (Nasdaq: EXC), the nation's leading competitive energy provider. Engage with the latest BGE stories on bgenow.com and connect with BGE on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

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