Recently, residents in Brunswick and around the tri-state area in Maryland, have been noticing a lack of transparency when receiving their electricity bills.  They are unusually high. Many Potomac Edison customers report that their electric bill quadrupled.  Some have even been billed multiple times a month. *Customer names and some locations have been omitted for confidentiality. The anonymity of sources was prioritized for any form of retribution.

One local mother, Angela, whose bill was $900 last month, shared how hard it is to pay their higher bills.

“I legitimately just have not had the money to pay it,” Angela said.

The resident reports this as unusually high because she lives in a brand new Railroad Square apartment. This Railroad Square development in Brunswick was built in 2025.  Her landlords told her to expect a higher bill next month.

Additionally, a nearby Martinsburg, West Virginia resident, who uses a gas stove for cooking, and limited electric use in her ranch home, was sent multiple statements each month from Potomac Edison, a FirstEnergy Corporation. She paid each bill as it came, not knowing that some of these bills were “rebills.”

According to Potomac Edison, rebills can occur anytime “to correct an error on a bill but will not rebill an account if requested by a supplier.”

This customer, and many others, do not always notice changes in rates or bill totals, when a rebill occurs. They’re often not labeled obviously on bill statements, but in small print at the top of each bill. Rebills can lead to overpaying balances with rate changes. Customers must be cognizant of the billing periods and authentic usage.

These high rates are not just affecting residents, but also small businesses.  According to Juan Carlos Lemus, a tax accountant, business consultant, and business owner, small businesses are taking hits with high utilities too, especially in Brunswick.  Lemus said this is mostly because they are housed in older buildings that are less energy efficient, and many owners aren’t prepared to pay higher electric bills as opposed to larger established businesses and corporations, who have the equity and stability.

Those experiencing what they consider unusual electric bills turn to social media where people share the high prices they have been receiving from electric companies. People worry there is a lack of transparency from electric companies. Customers have called their local electric company and are told the higher amount is due to the winter season, even if they use gas to heat their home, or they are advised to keep the thermostat at 62 degrees. Many online community groups have a monthly post sharing the frustrations, fear and disbelief in how to keep affording higher bills.

A Brunswick resident criticized Potomac Edison about the excuse of weather for high bills. “If your bill quadruples that’s not cold weather. We’ve had cold weather snaps and it’s never been like that…,” said the resident.

An alternative reason, besides weather conditions, that can explain the concerningly high bills is data centers.

Frederick, Maryland has 22 data centers, while a big city like Baltimore only has 15. Data centers choose to build here because Frederick resides in the tech valley, where there are tax incentives and large amounts of farmland, making it easy for data centers to build here and use resources that contribute to higher electricity being used.

Frederick county residents also use approximately 55% less commercial electricity than the Maryland average. Data centers on average use as much energy as 100,000 households. So there is high demand for electricity, but low supply.

According to the Customer Rights and Responsibilities bill insert for Potomac Edison they will not terminate your electric service between Nov. 1 and March 31, unless they can prove turning off your power won’t threaten your life/health via an affidavit with the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) 24 hours beforehand.

The average person in Brunswick takes a big hit financially when they have to pay almost $1,000 to keep the lights on, and people calling their electric companies for an explanation hit a dead end. It’s important to hold local companies accountable.

There is probably a more nuanced reason for the regionally high jumps in electricity, other than just data centers, or cold weather.

Potomac Edison—the only electric company available to consumers in this region—is able to raise prices with no pressure from competing companies. Residents need to demand accountability and monitor their own bills for consumption to avoid overpaying in the future.

This story was originally published on Garnet & Gold Gazette on March 17, 2026.