In short: In Maryland’s Washington suburbs your utility sets the numbers. Pepco, which serves much of Montgomery and Prince George’s, had the shortest outages of any big Maryland utility in 2024, about 65 minutes, but its homes paid about 20.08¢ per kWh. Montgomery County issues qualifying rooftop solar permits instantly online.
This page covers Rockville, Bethesda, Gaithersburg, Silver Spring and Bowie. Statewide rules (net metering until July 1, 2027 and its successor, the plug-in solar law, state rebates, contractor licensing) are on our Maryland energy guide.
Washington suburbs at a glance
- Pepco (Potomac Electric Power Company; much of Montgomery and Prince George’s counties): 20.08¢/kWh average for homes on Pepco supply in 2024; outages 65 minutes per customer with major events, 46 without; about 0.6 interruptions a year.
- BGE (parts of both counties): 17.91¢/kWh; 133 minutes with major events, 67 without.
- Potomac Edison (parts of Montgomery County): 13.83¢/kWh; 168 minutes, 159 without.
- SMECO (Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative; parts of Prince George’s): 14.84¢/kWh; 146 minutes, 114 without.
- Sun: about 3.98 kWh per square meter per day at Rockville (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020). Our rough estimate: about 1,160 kWh a year per kW of panels.
- Top hazards (FEMA National Risk Index): Montgomery and Prince George’s both rate “Relatively Moderate” overall, with winter weather “Very High” in both and lightning “Very High” in Prince George’s. Heat waves, inland flooding and strong wind are “Relatively High” in both; hail in Montgomery, tornadoes in Prince George’s.
- Public charging: 233 ports in Rockville, 220 in Bethesda, 159 in Silver Spring, 102 in Gaithersburg and 68 in Bowie, about 780 in all (AFDC, October 3, 2026).
Prices are 2024 EIA-861 averages including delivery and fixed charges; outage minutes are utility-wide. Pepco’s own posted flat rate from October 1, 2026 is $0.22 per kWh in summer and $0.19 in winter.
Your utility and what it means
Both counties are split among several utilities, so neighbors can have different prices and programs. Check the name on your bill before comparing solar or charger offers. Whatever your utility, you may buy supply from a retail supplier; about 12% of Pepco homes did in 2024 (EIA). You can also buy your electricity supply from a licensed retail supplier instead of your utility; compare offers on the Public Service Commission’s MD Energy Choice site, and check your utility’s “price to compare” first. The PSC notes that since 2024 reforms some suppliers have stopped offering residential plans, so you may see fewer offers.
- Pepco Time-of-Use rate (R-TOU-P): from October 1, 2026, Pepco lists $0.41 per kWh on-peak and $0.18 off-peak in summer, and $0.31 and $0.16 in winter, against the flat $0.22 and $0.19, all-in (delivery, transmission and supply). Peak is 2 to 7 p.m. on summer weekdays and 6 to 9 a.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. on winter weekdays; weekends and federal holidays are off-peak. Customers with a retail supplier can join, and you can switch back any time (Pepco Time-of-Use).
- Pepco and EV chargers: Pepco recommends contacting it before a Level 2 charger is installed to confirm the local lines can serve the added load, and says the work needs a licensed electrician.
- Pepco solar: net metering follows the state rules on our state page; Pepco’s Green Power Connection team handles interconnection. Pepco had about 35,700 net-metered home systems in Maryland at the end of 2024 (EIA).
- BGE customers: BGE offers EV smart-charging credits up to $120 a year and a separate EV time-of-use supply rate; details on our Baltimore page. Potomac Edison customers: see our Frederick page.
- Montgomery County Green Bank: a county-created lender that says it supports home solar, geothermal and energy storage projects; see mcgreenbank.org for current offers.
Backup power in the Washington suburbs
Pepco customers averaged about one hour without power in 2024, so for many homes a big generator is hard to justify on outage numbers alone. The risk sits in the bad days: FEMA rates winter weather “Very High” in both counties, and strong wind and lightning bring down lines under the area’s tall trees. BGE, Potomac Edison and SMECO customers saw longer outages, about two to three hours.
- Condos, apartments and townhouses: a portable power station covers phones, Wi-Fi, a CPAP and the fridge for a short outage.
- Single-family homes: a home battery, alone or with solar, covers the typical outage; a natural gas standby generator fits homes with medical equipment, a basement sump pump or a home office that cannot go down.
- Safety: portable generators outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, exhaust away from doors, windows and vents, never in a garage (CPSC); carbon monoxide alarms on every level; a transfer switch or interlock installed by a licensed electrician under a permit.
Size your system with the battery backup calculator or the generator sizing calculator; see our backup power guide and generator installation.
Solar in the Washington suburbs
A rough estimate: a 7 kW system at about 1,160 kWh per kW makes roughly 8,130 kWh a year. At Pepco’s 2024 average of 20.08¢ that is worth about $1,630 a year; on BGE about $1,460, on SMECO about $1,210 and on Potomac Edison about $1,120. Higher prices make Pepco homes the strongest case, as long as full retail net metering applies; systems connected after July 1, 2027 fall under the less generous successor program described on our state page.
Tree cover is often the bigger limit here than latitude, so get a shade check. Try the solar potential calculator, then read solar panel cost and solar installation.
Batteries
With short Pepco outages and retail net metering, a battery is mostly for peace of mind today. Two things can change that: the successor to net metering after July 2027, and Pepco’s time-of-use rate, where a battery charged by solar or off-peak power can cover the 2 to 7 p.m. summer peak. Montgomery County’s eSolar route also accepts solar with a battery (see permits). See home battery installation and home battery cost.
EV charging
A labelled estimate at 30 kWh per 100 miles: about $6.02 per 100 miles at Pepco’s 2024 average (roughly $720 a year for 12,000 miles). Charging off-peak on Pepco’s time-of-use rate, at $0.16 to $0.18 per kWh from October 2026, works out to about $4.80 to $5.40 per 100 miles. For public charging, Rockville and Bethesda have the most ports.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Rockville: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
A Level 2 charger needs an electrical permit and a licensed electrician; townhouse and condo owners should check HOA or condo rules first. The state charger rebate is on our Maryland page. See EV charger installation and the EV charging cost calculator.
Permits and inspections
- Montgomery County: the Department of Permitting Services requires a building permit and a separate electrical permit for solar, applied for online; well-prepared applications are usually issued in 5 to 7 days, and homeowners cannot apply in their own name, so an MHIC-licensed contractor must (residential solar permits). Townhouses four or more stories high need a commercial permit.
- Montgomery eSolar: qualifying rooftop systems, including solar plus a home battery, get the building permit immediately online through an approved service (SolarAPP+), up to a 400 A main service (eSolar). Check first that your address is not in a municipality with its own process or a historic property.
- Prince George’s County (Bowie): the Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement (DPIE) is bringing in SolarAPP+ for standard rooftop solar and storage, marked “coming soon” when we checked (DPIE SolarAPP+).
- Rockville, Gaithersburg and Bowie: ask the city whether it handles your permit.
- Who does the work: an MHIC-licensed contractor, a licensed electrician (lookups on our state page), a licensed gas fitter for generator gas lines, and HOA approval where needed.
Cities we cover
- Rockville
- Bethesda
- Gaithersburg
- Silver Spring
- Bowie
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Washington suburbs energy FAQ
Am I on Pepco, BGE, Potomac Edison or SMECO?
Pepco serves much of Montgomery and Prince George’s, but BGE serves parts of both counties, Potomac Edison parts of Montgomery and SMECO parts of Prince George’s (EIA, 2024). Your bill shows which one; 2024 home prices ranged from 13.83¢ to 20.08¢ per kWh.
Does Pepco’s time-of-use rate help EV owners?
It can. From October 1, 2026 Pepco lists off-peak power at $0.18 per kWh in summer and $0.16 in winter, including delivery, against flat rates of $0.22 and $0.19. Peak hours cost much more, so it pays if you charge overnight or on weekends and can shift other use.
How fast can I get a solar permit in Montgomery County?
Qualifying rooftop systems filed through eSolar get the building permit immediately once fees are paid; the separate electrical permit is still needed. Standard applications are usually issued in 5 to 7 days. Either way, a licensed contractor applies, not the homeowner.
Is Pepco reliable enough to skip backup?
Pepco averaged about 65 outage minutes per customer in Maryland in 2024 (EIA), among the lowest in the state. Many homes manage with a power station for short outages; homes with medical equipment or a sump pump should still plan for the occasional winter storm.
Sources
Utility areas, prices, supply shopping, outages and home solar counts: EIA-861, 2024 data. Pepco Maryland Time-of-Use and EV pages; BGE program pages. Supplier choice: Maryland Public Service Commission and MD Energy Choice. Montgomery County Green Bank. Permits: Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services and Prince George’s County DPIE. Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Sun: NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020. Charging ports: AFDC Station Locator, October 3, 2026. Generator safety: CPSC. Checked October 3, 2026.