Key takeaways
- 8 community-owned utilities: 5 municipal utilities and 3 electric cooperatives reported bundled retail sales in Maryland in 2024.
- Together they served 267,045 of the state's 2,339,525 bundled retail customers (11%); 4 investor-owned utilities served most of the rest.
- The largest public power utility is Hagerstown Light Department, with 17,743 customers.
- The largest electric co-op is Southern Maryland Elec Coop Inc, with 174,303 customers.
Every public power utility and co-op in Maryland
Ranked by bundled retail customers in 2024, with retail sales in megawatt-hours and average price in cents per kilowatt-hour. Names are as EIA abbreviates them. Filter by type or search.
Showing all 8 utilities
| # | Utility | Type | Customers | Sales, MWh | Avg. price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern Maryland Elec Coop Inc | Cooperative | 174,303 | 3,383,453 | 14.04¢ |
| 2 | Choptank Electric Cooperative, Inc | Cooperative | 57,045 | 1,033,904 | 15.55¢ |
| 3 | Hagerstown Light Department | Municipal | 17,743 | 319,406 | 7.65¢ |
| 4 | Easton Utilities Comm | Municipal | 10,990 | 239,440 | 12.85¢ |
| 5 | Thurmont Municipal Light Co | Municipal | 2,892 | 72,090 | 8.69¢ |
| 6 | Town of Berlin | Municipal | 2,752 | 46,154 | 13.80¢ |
| 7 | Town of Williamsport | Municipal | 1,025 | 19,101 | 8.30¢ |
| 8 | A & N Electric Coop | Cooperative | 295 | 2,793 | 13.66¢ |
Public power vs. co-ops in Maryland
- Public power utilities — municipal utilities, public utility districts and state-owned utilities — are owned by the communities they serve and governed by a city council or elected board. They buy much like local governments: through public bids, board approvals and published budgets.
- Electric cooperatives are private, not-for-profit utilities owned by their members, who elect the board. Most buy power from a generation and transmission (G&T) co-op and make purchasing decisions through their own policies, often faster than public agencies.
Both publish their plans: watch board and council agendas, budgets, capital improvement plans and rate filings. Our utility funding tracker and rate case & IRP tracker show where the money is coming from.
Selling to Maryland utilities
- Start with the right person. Line, engineering, metering, IT and member-services managers usually define the need; the general manager or CEO and the board approve large purchases.
- Use the networks. State public power and cooperative associations, joint action agencies and G&T co-ops shape purchasing and share vendor experiences.
- Expect small teams. Many of the utilities on this list have only a handful of staff, so phone outreach and a clear reason to talk matter.
Read our guide to how public power, co-ops and water utilities buy, or see the largest public power utilities and largest electric co-ops nationally.
About this data
- Source. EIA's "2024 Utility Bundled Retail Sales – Total" (Table 10), from forms EIA-861 and EIA-861S. Average price is EIA's revenue divided by sales.
- Bundled customers only. The table counts customers who buy both energy and delivery from the utility, so it excludes distribution-only utilities and customers who buy energy from another supplier in retail-choice areas.
- Community-owned utilities only. This page lists municipal, public utility district, state-owned and cooperative utilities. Investor-owned and federal utilities are left out.
Sources
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2024 Utility Bundled Retail Sales – Total (Table 10): eia.gov