BGE Customer Service & Safety Compliance 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the minimum clearance distance BGE requires between vegetation and high-voltage transmission lines during tree trimming operations?
- 1 foot
- 5 feet
- 10 feet
- The lines must be de-energized before any trimming (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The lines must be de-energized before any trimming
For high-voltage transmission lines, BGE requires lines to be de-energized and grounded before vegetation management work begins in close proximity.
Question 2: A BGE customer requests a payment arrangement after receiving a past-due notice. What information should the representative collect first?
- The customer's credit score
- The full account balance and payment history (Correct answer)
- Whether the customer qualifies for a competitor's plan
- The customer's employer contact information
Correct answer: The full account balance and payment history
Reviewing the full account balance and payment history allows the representative to offer an appropriate and compliant payment arrangement.
Question 3: Under Maryland law, BGE is prohibited from disconnecting residential service during extreme heat events when temperatures are forecast to exceed:
- 85°F
- 90°F
- 95°F (Correct answer)
- 100°F
Correct answer: 95°F
Maryland regulations prohibit utility disconnection of residential customers when the National Weather Service forecasts temperatures of 95°F or higher.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes the purpose of BGE's 'Smart Energy Savers Program'?
- It provides free natural gas appliances to low-income customers
- It offers rebates and incentives to customers who install energy-efficient equipment (Correct answer)
- It locks customers into a fixed energy rate for five years
- It automatically shifts usage to off-peak hours without customer involvement
Correct answer: It offers rebates and incentives to customers who install energy-efficient equipment
The Smart Energy Savers Program encourages customers to reduce energy use by offering rebates and incentives for qualifying energy-efficient upgrades.
Question 5: A customer reports that carbon monoxide detectors in their home are alarming. What should the BGE representative advise?
- Reset the detector and monitor for 24 hours
- Open a window and call BGE for a next-day inspection
- Evacuate immediately, call 911, and do not re-enter until cleared by emergency responders (Correct answer)
- Check the pilot light on the furnace before leaving
Correct answer: Evacuate immediately, call 911, and do not re-enter until cleared by emergency responders
Carbon monoxide is odorless and immediately dangerous; occupants must evacuate and call 911 — never investigate the source before leaving.
Question 6: When excavating near underground gas lines, contractors in Maryland are required by law to call the one-call notification system at least how many business days in advance?
- 1 business day
- 2 business days (Correct answer)
- 3 business days
- 5 business days
Correct answer: 2 business days
Maryland law requires contractors to notify the one-call center (Miss Utility / 811) at least 2 business days before excavation to allow utility marking.
Question 7: A BGE field employee notices a gas meter has been tampered with to bypass the measuring mechanism. The correct response is to:
- Restore the meter to normal operation and note the date
- Document the tampering, shut off service, and report it per BGE's theft-of-service protocol (Correct answer)
- Confront the customer directly to discuss the situation
- Ignore it if the account is currently paid up
Correct answer: Document the tampering, shut off service, and report it per BGE's theft-of-service protocol
Meter tampering is both a safety hazard and illegal; employees must document it, shut off service, and follow BGE's formal theft-of-service reporting process.
BGE Customer Service & Safety Compliance 3
What is the minimum clearance distance BGE requires between vegetation and high-voltage transmission lines during tree trimming operations?