Over the past months, many Maryland residents have faced eye-watering home energy bills. Customers of BGE, Maryland’s largest gas and electric utility, have endured a perfect storm for energy prices. A combination of bitter winter cold and service rate hikes has drawn the ire of residents and politicians alike.

Marylanders keeping an eye on their thermostats might wonder how the state’s energy source profile contributes to their energy bills. Given our state’s increasing reliance on natural gas, do Maryland residents want the state to pursue a mix that favors renewable energy sources like solar power, wind and geothermal technologies in the near future? Or, would they prefer it if the state doubles down on investment in traditional energy sources?

Our research shows that Marylanders across the political spectrum are in surprising agreement when it comes to the state’s energy strategy. While natural gas remains popular, majorities of Republicans and Democrats agree that renewable sources like geothermal and solar power should be encouraged by the state. This pragmatic, bipartisan, “kitchen-sink” approach is likely a reflection of Marylanders’ desire to lower energy costs by any means necessary.

Maryland currently relies upon a variety of energy sources to provide services to homes and businesses. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, electricity (40% of homes) and natural gas (40% of homes) combine to serve as heating sources for the vast majority of Maryland residents. However, some homes and businesses have recently transitioned to renewable energy. This is due in part to the development of state incentives for home and business solar panel installations.

Our electric grid also reveals a diversified energy portfolio. As of 2023, natural gas accounts for 41% of Maryland’s electricity generation — and this figure continues to grow.

Coal is no longer a primary source of power, accounting for just 5% of electricity generation. And while solar power has continued to grow in favorability over the years, it similarly accounts for just 6% of Maryland’s electricity. Hydroelectric power contributes another 5%.

Despite this diverse mix of energy sources, consumer costs remain high in Maryland compared with many other states. Do high prices explain Marylanders’ desire to try out alternative forms of energy?

A new survey conducted by the UMBC Institute of Politics sheds light on this question. The institute recently contacted 803 Maryland adults in February. The survey was demographically representative of Maryland’s population as a whole and had a margin of error of 3.5%.

In the survey, we asked Maryland residents whether they support or oppose Maryland expanding the use of resources like natural gas, nuclear, wind, solar, geothermal, waste-to-energy and coal resources.

Most respondents to our survey want Maryland to pursue a wide variety of energy investments. Among the energy sources we asked about, solar energy (83.7% supportive) and geothermal energy (82.3% supportive) garnered the highest levels of support. Coal (44.7% supportive) and nuclear energy (57.4% supportive) ranked the lowest. These results might initially suggest a strong preference for cleaner energy options. However, support for increased investment in natural gas was also strong, with 77.8% support across the sample.

Despite this seeming consensus, differences in Marylanders’ preferences for energy sources emerge when we examine these figures across party registration status. Republicans preferred expanding coal use over Democrats by an enormous 42 percentage points, while Democrats preferred expanding wind power over Republicans by 40 percentage points. Solar power shows a smaller partisan gap, with Democrats preferring solar around 20 percentage points more than Republicans. Republicans also preferred nuclear power and natural gas compared with Democrats, outpacing their partisan rivals by roughly 18 percentage points.

Altogether, our results show that pragmatic Marylanders want the state to invest broadly in a diverse array of traditional and renewable energy resources. What impact this strategy might have on struggling Marylanders’ pocketbooks, however, remains to be seen.

Ian G. Anson is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and associate director of the UMBC Institute of Politics. Dilnaz Hasim is an undergraduate student at UMBC studying economics.