Many Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) residential customers will see a credit on their electric bill in August, thanks to the Legislative Energy Relief Refund, a one-time statewide initiative established by the Maryland General Assembly and Governor Wes Moore to help offset high energy costs.

The refund, created through House Bill 1035 and administered by the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC), provides an average total credit of $80 per eligible household, distributed in two phases: summer 2025 and winter 2026. Credits will be applied automatically to eligible accounts.

To be eligible, members must have had an active residential account as of August 1, 2025, and must have used electricity during the 12-month period ending March 31, 2025.

“This refund comes at a critical time, especially during the peak summer months when energy usage is at its highest,” said Sonja Cox, SMECO President and CEO.

The credit is based on a member’s average monthly usage over the 12-month period ending March 31, 2025. Eligible SMECO members fall into one of three usage tiers, with higher-usage households receiving a larger credit. Tiers are defined as follows:

Tier	Average usage in kilowatt-hours (kWh)	Amount of credit
1	0–400 kWh	$40
2	400–1200 kWh	$55
3	1200+ kWh	$67.89

 

The refund will appear as “Legislative Energy Relief Refund” on page two of the August SMECO bill. A second credit will be issued in winter 2026.

 

Members who wish to share their refund can donate it to SMECO’s Members Helping Members program, which provides assistance to fellow cooperative members who need help paying their electric bill. Donations are sent to the Southern Maryland Tri-County Community Action Committee, which gives the money to members who seek aid and meet the qualifications. One-time donations can be made by sending a check to SMECO, Members Helping Members, P.O. Box 1937, Hughesville, MD 20637. Refund donations cannot be made automatically. Interested SMECO members can also sign up online at smeco.coop/mhm to add $1, $5, or $10 to their electric bill each month.

For more information about the Legislative Energy Relief Refund, visit SMECO.coop/relief.

 

Follow SMECO on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SMECO.coop and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/somdelectric.

The SMECO 24/7 mobile app is available at www.smeco.coop/247.