Longtime public housing tenant leader Annie Chambers says she and fellow residents have been hit with sizeable electricity bills they never agreed to and never previously had to pay.

Chambers said she was shocked to get a notice from the Housing Authority of Baltimore City (HABC) saying she owed nearly $600 for “utility usage,” most of it arising from a “previous balance.”

This was followed by a demand letter from HABC threatening to terminate her lease for failure to pay for “excess electricity usage” and late fees. Fellow residents of Douglass Homes in East Baltimore have received similar dunning letters, according to Chambers.

“One lady got a bill for $1,300 that I know about, and another person had $1,500,” the 83-year-old retired social worker said. “Nobody knew anything about this, and now they’re saying we are going to be evicted.”

Traditionally, public housing residents didn’t pay for utilities, which were instead covered by the same federal funds that subsidized a portion of their rent, according to Chambers.

It’s unclear when, but HABC instituted a meter billing system that made Douglass Homes tenants individually responsible for electricity usage beyond allotted levels.

Chambers said she and other residents were not informed about the new system and did not receive bills for alleged excess electricity usage until big balances piled up.

“They told us it had something to do with Covid. That’s why they didn’t send out any bills,” Chambers said. “Now they’re saying we used more electricity than the amount allotted to us.“

At 6 p.m. today, Chambers and other tenants are planning to hold a protest and press conference outside the Douglass Homes main office at 1500 East Lexington Street, near Fayette and Caroline streets.

Third-party Billing

Replying to The Brew’s query about the program, HABC said it has been in effect at Douglas Homes since late 2020, that currently 40% of residents there do not exceed their electricity allowance and that participation in the program is included in lease agreements.

Spokeswoman Ingrid Antonio said residents who do not pay the excess utility charges over a period of time are informed about their accrued balances.

Explaining the letters demanding payment that some residents have recently received, she pointed to new efforts to get delinquent residents to pay up.

“HABC has recently implemented additional means to collect the overdue amounts, including a collection company,” Antonio wrote. “The balances you’re referring to typically reflect long-term non-payment, not sudden charges.”

“We understand some households face financial hardship, and we’re committed to working with them through payment plans and support services where possible,” she continued.

According to HABC’s Public Housing Resident Handbook, Douglass Homes is one of six developments that are participating in a “energy saving practices and utility allowance program.” The others are Poe Homes, Brooklyn Homes, Latrobe Homes, Cherry Hill Homes and Westport Homes.

“If the resident uses more than the household’s utility allowance, the resident will be charged for the excess usage above the resident’s allowance,” the handbook says.

“A pre-billing statement of the amount of utility used by a resident and billing for excess utility usage charges comes from a third-party vendor,” it notes.

The bills Chambers said she began receiving in February were sent by Colorado-based American Conservation and Billing Solutions.

According to the handbook, the allowances are established by “professional energy consultants” who use information applicable to the type of dwelling unit leased by a tenant, the number of persons in the household, local seasonal temperatures and other factors to calculate an electricity allowance.

Documents provided by Chambers indicate that Douglass Homes residents were being billed for excess usage months before HABC held a meeting with residents to explain the charges.

A bill reflecting Chambers’ utility usage in January 2025, for instance, shows a $587.25 previous balance and a $5.57 electric charge.

In a March 26, 2025 letter to tenants, HABC urged attendance at a meeting meant to “provide further clarity” and give residents a chance to have “all relevant questions” answered.

“Don’t get stuck with a high energy bill,” the letter said. “We encourage you to come out and hear more about Energy Conservation and how to use electricity within your allowance.”

A handout from an April 17 meeting with Douglass Homes residents provides further details, explaining the different electricity allowances depending on the size of the unit: the maximum for a one bedroom unit is 166 kWh per month, for a two bedroom 192 kWh per month, and for a three bedroom  227 kWh per month.

Residents were told what household appliances were allowed – and what weren’t – under the new program. Among the items excluded from the utility allowance were clothes dryers, dishwashers, portable space heaters and dehumidifiers.

Some residents “may seek additional allowances” for such devices as CPAP machines, motorized wheelchairs and nebulizers, HABC officials said.

Energy conservation tips would be mailed to residents’ homes, they were told, and HABC’s Energy Office Team will “attempt to contact the residents whose energy usage exceeds the utility allowance by $40 and over per month.”

“It’s just cruel”

Chambers says she and others living month-to-month on a fixed income can’t manage to pay the balances that HABC says they owe.

Chambers said she receives $980 a month in Social Security benefits, from which she pays $298 for rent and $200 a month to cover the co-pay for the many medications she takes for heart ailments and other conditions.

With what’s left over, she can’t cover the nearly $600 electricity bill.

“How am I supposed to pay this? Where am I supposed to get the money from?” Chambers asked. “They’re cutting my food stamps. I don’t have any money!”

(For no discernible reason, she said, her monthly SNAP food stamp benefits recently dropped from about $200 to under $50.)

Veteran city social worker and housing advocate Lauren Siegel said she’s familiar with the new utility billing mandate, which she says has alarmed residents at other HABC complexes.

“Public housing residents are all very poor, and to suddenly have utility payments shoved down their throats – especially at the elevated prices that went into effect over the past six months – it’s just cruel,” she said.

“They’ll be eligible for the Maryland Energy Assistance Program. But you need many documents to qualify, and it takes months,” Siegel continued, noting that it may already be too late for some families who face eviction.