Numerous residents who testified at the Feb. 14 Senate Environment, Energy and Transportation Committee hearing reported sudden, large Delmarva Power bills, billing‑system errors and unexpected charges from third‑party suppliers that appear on utility statements.

The nut graf: Public commenters described bills that rose from the low hundreds to several hundred or thousands of dollars, and several said third‑party suppliers such as “Think Energy” or marketing firms had enrolled a customer’s supply line without the resident’s clear authorization. Legislators asked Delmarva staff to investigate and suggested consumer‑protection referrals.

During public comment Terry Baker said his account showed an additional charge from a provider the household did not authorize and described the experience as “outrageous,” citing a policy change he traced to SB 33. Senator Carol Hoffman and Senator Russ Huxtable noted that some customers received documents that looked like utility‑issued bills and urged the committee to involve the attorney general’s consumer‑protection division. Hoffman recommended that the committee collect specific bills for forensic review and work with the attorney general on consumer fraud investigations.

Delmarva representatives said they would investigate individual cases and work with constituents. Delmarva also acknowledged a technical error Delmarva staff referenced earlier — a missed debit for some customers in December that was rolled into January bills — and said company staff were resolving customer accounts and connecting people to payment options and assistance. Senator Huxtable emphasized that some constituents’ bills rose by multiples and asked whether nonpayment disconnections would be broadly paused; Delmarva said company disconnections were suspended for February 2025 and that the company would waive certain fees and promote payment plans.

Ending: Multiple senators urged residents with suspect bills to submit accounts to the committee and the public advocate and to contact the attorney general’s consumer unit. The committee invited Delmarva to supply examples and to coordinate with the public advocate and AG’s office to resolve apparent billing errors and possible unauthorized supplier enrollments.