Maryland families are facing sustained increases in electricity costs. Since 2010, BGE distribution rates have roughly doubled, rising significantly faster than inflation. For many households, monthly utility bills are becoming difficult to manage.
There is a practical step the state can take right now to help, without new spending: remove unnecessary delays in residential solar permitting.
Under current Maryland rate structures, a properly sized rooftop solar system paired with battery storage can significantly reduce a household’s annual electricity costs. Industry analysis released earlier this year shows participating households can cut electric bills by as much as 80 percent, often saving $2,000 or more per year depending on usage. Equipment is available. Maryland has a trained workforce. Homeowners are ready to invest.
The constraint is not technology or labor. It is process.
Residential solar permitting in Maryland is fragmented and inconsistent across jurisdictions. Statewide approval timelines are roughly double the national average, and in some counties, standard residential applications can take more than 60 days to review. For routine, code-compliant rooftop systems using established equipment, those delays add no safety value. They add cost.
Extended timelines increase administrative overhead, disrupt construction schedules, and raise project carrying costs. Permitting and inspection fees also vary widely. For the same scope of work, fees can range from roughly $100 to more than $1,000 depending on location. Those inconsistencies directly increase upfront prices for families trying to lower their long-term energy expenses.
The inefficiency also wastes scarce skilled labor. Maryland faces a shortage of licensed electricians, yet installers routinely schedule highly trained electricians to sit onsite. They are often waiting for inspections that are assigned broad, multi-hour arrival windows. In some cases, inspectors have required digital photos to be printed on paper or have mandated multiple re-inspections over minor issues unrelated to safety. Idle skilled labor is expensive and those costs ultimately flow to consumers.
The consequences are real. In 2025, many Maryland homeowners missed out on the 30 percent federal Residential Clean Energy tax credit because local permitting processes could not move quickly enough. We had customers ready to proceed, but administrative delays cost them thousands of dollars in federal support they will never recover.
The General Assembly recognized this problem in 2024 when it passed the Brighter Tomorrow Act, encouraging jurisdictions to adopt automated permitting. Progress has been uneven. Some jurisdictions have embraced streamlined systems. Others continue to rely on manual, paper-based processes that slow projects unnecessarily.
House Bill 1104 would move Maryland from encouragement to consistent implementation.
The bill would require automated code compliance review for eligible residential systems, allow remote inspection options using photo or video verification, and establish reasonable statewide guardrails for fees. These reforms maintain existing safety standards while ensuring they are applied efficiently and uniformly.
Homeowners in one county should not face dramatically longer timelines and higher costs than homeowners in another for the same installation. When state policy supports clean energy and energy affordability, local administrative processes should not undermine those goals.
HB 1104 does not create a new subsidy or require new taxpayer spending. It modernizes permitting so families who choose to invest in lowering their energy bills are not penalized by avoidable delays.
Maryland has the technology, the workforce, and the demand to expand residential solar. What it needs is a permitting system that reflects the urgency of rising energy costs.
The General Assembly should pass HB 1104 and end the time tax that is slowing solar adoption and increasing costs for Maryland households.