Selling Energy in Pepco and Washington Gas Territory

Two utilities, one territory

If you sell both electricity and natural gas, the Washington area is hard to beat. Pepco delivers the power and Washington Gas delivers the gas to a big share of the same homes. That means one knock or one call can cover both fuels.

In Washington, DC it's simple. Pepco is the only electric utility and Washington Gas is the only gas utility. Every address in the city is on both.

In Maryland it takes a little more care. Pepco's Maryland territory is mostly Montgomery and Prince George's counties. Washington Gas in Maryland covers those counties too, plus parts of central and southern Maryland where the electric side is often BGE or SMECO instead.

Why sales teams like this market

DC and Maryland both opened electricity to choice around the turn of the century, and both let homes pick a gas supplier too. People here have seen supplier offers before. That cuts both ways. You spend less time explaining what choice is, but you need a clear reason for them to switch.

The area is also dense. Rowhouses in DC and packed neighborhoods in Silver Spring, Bethesda or Hyattsville mean a door-to-door rep can see a lot of doors in a shift.

Things that trip up new teams

A few things catch people out here, so it's worth going over them before you send reps out.

• Apartments. A lot of DC lives in buildings you can't walk into. Phone teams usually do better with those addresses, and door teams should stick to houses and rowhouses.
• Maryland rules. Maryland tightened its rules for residential supplier offers in 2024. Check with your supplier which products you're allowed to sell there before you train your reps.
• Local permits. Many towns and counties have their own rules for door-to-door sellers. Ask your supplier or compliance team what's needed where you're working.
• Mixed electric areas. Outside Montgomery and Prince George's, a Washington Gas home might be on BGE, Potomac Edison or SMECO for power. Make sure your leads say which utility each home is on.

Planning a dual-fuel campaign

Start with the homes that are on both Pepco and Washington Gas. Order your leads by utility so reps know before the call or the knock whether they can pitch one fuel or two. A rep who opens with the wrong utility name loses the customer's trust in about five seconds.

If your supplier is only approved for electric, it's still a strong market. Just order Pepco leads and leave gas out of the pitch.

Not sure how many fuels a lead file covers? Here's what's in a consumer energy lead, and our guide on how to buy energy leads covers the questions to ask before you order.