Customers

Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. said Monday that it will hand out 9,000 free trees to customers - first come, first served - to help cut down on energy use. BGE said it has earmarked $300,000 for its new Energy-Saving Trees Program, which is receiving technical support from the Arbor Day Foundation and Davey Institute. BGE said the funds are a donation and do not come from customer fees. Customers can request up to two free trees at http://www.arborday.org/BGE . They must call Miss Utility at 811 before planting, to avoid damaging underground utility infrastructure.

Three in every 10 Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. customers are buying their electricity through third-party suppliers, continuing a steady trend of increases in recent years, the company said Wednesday. About 30 percent of electricity customers don't purchase their energy from BGE, up from 25 percent at the end of 2011 and 18 percent at the end of 2010, the company said. BGE's natural-gas customers are less likely to switch to third-party providers, though more have done so in the last few years - 22 percent, up from 13 percent at the end of 2010.

WASHINGTON - Toyota is extending nationwide some recall-related services that it was offering to customers only in the state of New York. The added services will be tailored to a customer's needs and can include quick scheduling of repairs, pick up and return of their vehicle by the dealer, driving a customer to work, or providing alternate transportation such as a loaner or rental car. The services will be offered to all Toyota and Lexus owners in...

UNNOTICED, but much welcome at a moment of economic gloom, two big new items of demographic news are upon us, each powerfully optimistic.Among other things, the new demographic tidings should create -- presto! -- a new generation of business geniuses whose faces will adorn the covers of Forbes and Fortune.A demographic milestone was reached during the first six months of 1990. The Total Fertility Rate in the United States climbed to an estimated 2.1 lifetime births per woman. The new figure is the highest since 1971.

In sizzling heat that had much of the country screaming for ice cream, people in certain pockets of the nation had trouble this week finding their favorite Good Humor bars. In Maryland, the owner of state's main ice cream distributor said he hasn't been able to offer customers Chocolate Eclairs or King Cones. But unlike the keen disappointment going on in parts of the country that have been deprived of Toasted Almond Bars, Guy Berliner of the Hyattsville-based Berliner Specialty Distributors says his customers have, well, kept their cool.

A San Francisco-based technology company launched an app-based service in Baltimore Thursday that will let customers hire a luxury town car by smart phone. Uber, which bills itself as "Everyone's Private Driver," allows subscribers who download the company app to set their pickup location and request a ride. The company uses GPS technology to find the nearest driver for the pickup. The entire transaction — including 20 percent tip — is processed through the customer's account. Uber charges about double the city's taxi fare schedule but below what it would cost to hire a private car by traditional means.

If you've got an analog television and subscribe to Comcast's "limited basic" package --- basically broadcast channels plus Univision and some government access --- you'll need some new equipment. Comcast is offering customers up to three digital adapters at no additional monthly charge, said spokeswoman Alisha Martin. With the adaptors, these customers will get digital-quality picture and sound as well as an additional dozen channels. Customers who subscribe to other levels of service have already moved to digital-only, she said.

Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. crews finished restoring power to more than 1,300 customers after Friday's windstorm. By Sunday evening, the utility company had restored power to more than 93,000 customers. Linemen, tree crews, call center and storm response staffers worked over the weekend, including hundreds from Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The area most affected was Anne Arundel County, where more than 25,000 customers lost power. About 23,000 Baltimore County customers and 19,000 in Baltimore City were affected, according to BGE. Spokeswoman Linda Foy said BGE would be monitoring an approaching weather system that may bring thunderstorms along with rain through today.

The Eater DC posted this funny story. Rogue 24, a newly opened "urban fine dining restaurant" in Washington, D.C., is making its customer sign a two-page "reservation agreement" before being accepted. Some of Rogue 24 's rules are just bossy -- cell phones and camera are banned during the three-hour dinners. That's not crazy, but "Oh, Brother!" is the only response to the stated reason for the policy: "All guests should be able to enjoy the experiences that surround them at Rogue 24 free of distraction.

My husband and I have taken part in BGE's PeakRewards program for three years and never experienced an interruption of our air-conditioning until Friday. At first we thought that our thermostat was faulty or the air-conditioner wasn't working. The unit had been off for more than an hour. The thermostat was set at 78 degrees, and it was registering 88 in the room. Then my sister-in-law called to say her air-conditioning wasn't working either. That's when I realized perhaps BGE had put PeakRewards into effect.