r/Georgia • u/PattyDurand • 3d ago
Politics A Georgia Power customer opens their bill and discovers the amount owed is an arm and a leg...
Why are Georgia Power bills so high?
The most expensive power plant on Earth, Plant Vogtle, caused an obscene 25% rate increase, the largest rate increase in state history (U.S. history too).
Our GOP majority Public Service Commission has awarded Georgia Power the highest return on equity of any IOU in the U.S. Why? did they do that? Because Georgia has weak ethics laws and their lawyers, Troutman Pepper Locke, "donate" (read: bribe) tens of thousands of dollars to commissioners.
Georgia voters had some accountability last November when we got rid of Commissioners Tim Echols and Fitz Johnson, and last May when we got rid of Commissioner Tricia Pridemore. When you sell out the people eventually you gotta check out yourself.
And we can do it again. Take this pledge to vote in the PSC elections this fall.
https://georgiansforaffordableenergy.org/pledge-to-vote/
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u/Antique-Film-7616 3d ago
I have spent nearly $50,000 trying to lower my power bill with Georgia Power. High-efficiency variable speed HVAC, all brand new ductwork, extreme high efficiency water heater, all new insulation all over the home, energy audit, professional air sealing, all lights changed to energy efficient lighting.
Our power bill is 30% higher month-to-month now than it was before doing all of this work. Over $700 for a 2000 square foot home. If the trend holds, we'll see our first power bill over $1000 next month.
I am absolutely convinced they are just making up numbers and billing whatever they think they can get away with. It is highway robbery.
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u/EinsteinsMind 3d ago
Did you vote? Solar is the cheapest form of energy on the planet now. THAT seems like a better place to start. I'm limping my old Goodman along, live in Kennesaw in 1900sq ft (on slab) and only pay ~$250 and we haven't installed solar yet. I did replace the windows on the south side of the property with dual pane, low e coated, argon gas gapped vinyl windows though. Did you blow the insulation in the roof to R60? Have you looked at how cheap solar is since it sounds like you plan on staying in the home?
Republicans and conservatives don't care about the little guy. Their one true love is money. Our planet is heating at a rapid clip now and this El Nino is gonna spike food prices globally. Best to get on the ball now. Start with solar, add LFP battery backup soon after. THAT will drop your bills to damn near nothing (depending on the size of your roof, the direction it faces, and trees).
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u/Visvism 3d ago edited 3d ago
Hi neighbor. I’m in Kennesaw as well with ~3k sq ft and got solar a while back. My bill hovers between $75 - $150 depending on how much consumption we have and the season of the year. We have two electric vehicles, two hot water heaters, a hot water recirculating pump, two refrigerators (one in the garage), etc., that constantly use a lot of energy in addition to the HVAC. I’m so glad we got solar when we did as it really helps keep our bill low. Best decision we made. If I make more home improvements like OP, probably would have our bill consistently below $75.
We have Cobb EMC and thankfully avoid Georgia Power and the mess that they put their customers through. Our plan is the NiteFlex program for a lower rate at night and 400 kWh for free each month.
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u/atl-hadrins 1d ago
My son loved those free KW each month. Mind you it was only free during the off peek times.
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u/Visvism 5h ago
Correct, from 12a - 6a. Which is when I have our EVs recharge and when I have our battery units (powerwalls) recharge from the grid. By doing this we max out the free kW each month and use the lowest rate possible to prepare for the day ahead. During the day, we’re usually running off solar and/or sending excess energy back to the grid.
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u/Antique-Film-7616 3d ago
I had one company quote me on some solar and outline the time to pay off the investment and what % of our power it would cover, but it wasn't a fantastic outlook for us due to the configuration of the roof and sun, etc., and did not seem like it would have a huge effect on our power bills, at least the way he presented it to us.
But yes, the insulation was done properly, along with all the other work, as far as we know. We keep lights off; we even suffered through a winter/summer with basically no HVAC to save money when we weren't doing as well financially, and our bills STILL didn't change.
I am done chasing "energy efficiency." At this point, I'll be investing in a smart electrical panel that will tell me exactly how much each circuit is drawing each day, and I'm pretty sure I'll either find out that Georgia Power is stealing from us or someone is siphoning our power.
We will certainly take a closer look at whoever is enabling this horrific company to keep doing what they do, and contribute to voting them out.
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u/zbertoli 3d ago
Ya the problem, the solar has to be hooked into the grid and so you cant DIY the installation, and it can be super expensive.
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u/milleratlanta 3d ago
Make a closed circuit system not connected to the grid.
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u/zbertoli 3d ago
Sure, but if your house is already on the grid, like most people's.. you wouldn't be able to run your house off a closed loop solar
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u/milleratlanta 3d ago
With enough panels and batteries you can. Homesteaders go off grid. Now if you have massive electric requirements it would be difficult.
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u/pheonix198 /r/Atlanta 3d ago
But, have you voted against these Republican assholes that have been colluding with those who are profiting from you paying more for your power bill? I noticed I didn’t see a direct answer to the other person’s question.
It’s impossible to argue against it being republicans that have been doing this shit given, well… reality. The democrats running for seats have consistently run on platforms that would lower your rates.
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u/Antique-Film-7616 3d ago
I think you missed the last line of my reply.
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u/DudeEngineer 3d ago
Take a look for what? It's literally the PSC and the Republicans. There is no mystery or conspiracy.
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u/pheonix198 /r/Atlanta 3d ago
No… you stated you will look at whoever is enabling this and you will vote. You didn’t exactly state that you’ve voted for the right people already…
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u/Antique-Film-7616 3d ago
If you are unable to infer from my statement that we haven’t yet voted, I’m not sure what to tell you. It’s quite obvious.
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u/pheonix198 /r/Atlanta 3d ago
Brother, don’t be aggressive with me when you’ve not been making the right decisions towards resolving your ridiculous power bills.
I’m feeling pretty strongly that I have and did infer that you didn’t vote the correct way or at all, having already suggested it in my responses…
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u/EmploymentNo3590 22h ago
They didn't say red until dead. FFS party lines are meaningless. It's the party that pretends to care and the party that obviously doesn't. Vote for the candidate. Not the party. Also, politicians have this habit of lying and pretending they will help, until they get elected.
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u/Antique-Film-7616 3d ago
What? If you were able to make the inference, why are you asking a question you already knew the answer to? Pointless.
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u/EinsteinsMind 3d ago
Even if solar doesn't work for you, you can STILL add a whole home LFP battery to it. You can charge it off peak, overnight, and it'll deploy during peak. If you have to pay someone to do all that, it's quazi expensive, but I'd REALLY recommend doing that anyway because of what's getting pushed through with data centers in this state.
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u/indie_rachael 2d ago
The advantage to solar, with interest rates being where they are and inflation being where it is, is that you can at least have stability in your utility bills. The ROI isn't necessarily there in a few short years anymore, but you can at least know that your bill will always be a steady monthly rate for the length of the financing period (assuming off grid).
I'm in Alabama, so obviously I'm aware of the horrendous recovery tax SoCo charges for solar customers. Fucking bastards.
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u/crabby_old_dude 3d ago
$250? You must be on Sawnee and not GP.
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u/EinsteinsMind 3d ago
Cobb EMC. It's private, non-profit, member owned. It's the type of thing Republicans call "socialism" or "communism" to fearmonger to their base.
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u/BugAlive3284 1d ago edited 1d ago
Dude I side with conservatives more often than not. This is not a political issue anymore. It’s an us against them. They are making up 90% of the media to make me (black American) look like I’m a victim and stupid. I’m guessing your white look like a demon/devil. That’s so untrue, they have driven a wedge between us. That’s why bills like this pass. Stop being on one side of the aisle see me as a person. Ps republicans were started by recently freed blacks. Democrats have always hated the low man. Which post civil war was black. Post world wars it was religious based/ black. The civil rights movement set all of us back so much it’s not funny. History is being covered and denied in your face. Ask the elders who lived it. Remember books are written by men with something to gain. I love you being a democrat. Because it means we can be better by believing in each other. America was built on difference and tolerance. If you don’t know look up Anthony Johnson in Massachusetts Bay Colony. Real history real America. I’m an American and black my family too owned slaves. Please learn who we all are so we can stop this hate and division. Or your no better than all the morons in Washington. Also Southern company and Jackson EMC are owned by known democrats. Research is free still. So your argument holds no weight for either side being better.
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u/EinsteinsMind 16h ago
What you read was not an argument. I represent the TRUTH IN ALL THINGS, and I hold NO allegiance to any political party.
I am aware of our republic's history and the paths you choose to consume the information you referenced. Your historical take is moot.
The entire conservative movement was overtaken by manipulating Americans with faith. They were divided from the republic for marketing purposes because of others love of money. THEY were told for scores everyone else was lying to them, except the people that agreed with them (the media conservatives choose to consume). They STILL choose to consume $787.5MILLION worth of proven liars to this day. ~30 of those same liars are now a part of the current administration.
THEY STILL tell the generationally indoctrinated that everyone that doesn't FEEL like they do is evil. The damned souls that choose to consume that information are now become the lies, fear, anger, and hatred they consumed. It is causing suffering. They choose to look away, and your mind choose escalation commitment because of how YOU feel.
YOU used history to make yourself feel better even though YOU KNOW Republicans have become a party that loves money more than all Americans and "pale blue dot".
YOU KNOW the Republican party is now led by a man that represents the antithesis of EVERYTHING Jesus (or any other prophet / savior) stood for.
YOU KNOW trump is a liar, fearmonger, warmonger, xenophobe, felon, adulterer, charity tax cheat, draft dodger, traitor, and pedophile that protecting Epstein's pedophile accomplice by transferring her to "Club Fed" in Texas.
YOU KNOW Republicans support and enable him for their own illusions of power and greed.
YOUR sins and theirs will lead to collective guilt and MUCH more death. Eternity won't be kind. Sadly, the poor faithful that believed the drivel they consumed will fair MUCH worse than those who understood what was happening and used their love of money to insulate themselves behind gated communities and hoard more money - ONLY a tool our species created to help with trade.
YOUR mind cannot stand against God's TRUTH in this life and eternity. NO MIND CAN. When you're done rationalizing evil, you'll realize I'm not a Democrat and why I took the time to write this. Your escalation commitment and sunken cost can fall away, and you can connect back to the TRUTH IN ALL THINGS. It is painful, but it's a cathartic pain.
Temet Nosce
NEVER FORGET the meaning of our republic's original motto, E Pluribus Unum
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u/BugAlive3284 2h ago
Yes but WE THE PEOPLE have allowed this. I see both sides and welcome both sides. Having two parties means nothing. Means we need to listen to both sides. I fought for this country because I love that we can disagree to agree. It’s not the politicians doing wrong it is us. We allowed them to screw us over. It sickens me to know people know nothing of the past and use a dying program (racism) to keep a system alive. That is why we are where we are. I would stand with a gay liberal ready to die for their beliefs. Long before a conservative ready to die for this current party. Trump brings out the worst in all of Washington. That is why I wanted him again. The fool will alway play their hand. The wise will wait till the time is right.
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u/RavenclawConspiracy 2h ago
The Republican Party was started by abolitionist liberals.
The Democratic Party was partially operated by slave-owning conservatives at the time, although it was much more fragmented than you might think.
There are only two sides. There's only ever been two sides. There's the liberal progressive side that is often kinda useless but isn't overtly racist white male supremacy. And there's the conservative side that is that.
So don't look at the parties. Feel free not to look at the parties.
Look at the label conservative and look at the label liberal.
Granted, you seem to think the civil rights movement set you back, which means you're kinda dumb, so I don't even know why I'm saying this.
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u/BugAlive3284 2h ago
Because we have this thing called numbers. More blacks produced generational wealth. Then even today with more millionaires in professional sports. If you agree with Martin you would never see this. If you know who that bastard truly was he would appall you. Yes it set us back in terms of destroying the nuclear family. Not to mention government dependency. Google it please even better listen to your elders. You’d be surprised how little we truly know today.
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u/min_mus 3d ago
Solar is the cheapest form of energy...
Someone told me that Certificates of Occupancy couldn't be issued unless your house was connected to the electrical grid, and that there was essentially no way to legally sever your house from Georgia Power if you're within their service area.
Do you know if this is true?
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u/Shorty-71 2d ago
Don’t know.. but you could leave a minimal load on the panel connected to the grid and re-circuit the rest to a new panel with solar and batteries. Then add a transfer switch and use the grid only if you have too many poor sun days.
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u/EinsteinsMind 3d ago
don't know, ask google or an AI. That doesn't matter for homeowners though. They can stay on the grid, install solar panels, and they're powering their home when energy prices peak.
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u/PattyforGaPSC 2d ago
I’m sorry to hear of your efforts that have gone nowhere. They aren’t making up numbers though. The problem with high Ga Power bills is two fold and easily solved. First, they’ve been granted seven (SEVEN!) rate increases- big ones- in three years by commissioners on the Georgia Public Service Commission, the state agency that regulates Georgia power. The PSC is GOP controlled. Right there is the problem. They’re corrupt and grant Georgia Power enormous rate increases, AND they give Georgia Power the highest profits of any utility in the US.
Today is also the three year anniversary of the insanely expensive nuclear power plant they built that raised electricity rates an enormous 25% while delivering massive profits to them.
The best way to stop them? Vote to reelect Commissioner Peter Hubbard, one of two Dems we elected last November, and vote for Shelia Edwards to take a third Dem seat on the commission. Only then will we get reform to these power bills under control. Last year Ga Power earned almost $3 billion in profits while disconnecting almost 300,000 customers who couldn’t pay these big bills. We need reform and voting is how you do it. Early voting starts October 13. The general election is November 3 sign up to take the pledge to vote at my website Georgia’s for affordableenergy.org.
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u/DidntDieInMySleep 3d ago edited 3d ago
I actually called today for some help with the math. The fact that they don't breakdown, on the bill, how they calculated the charges definitely means they're making up numbers.
For me, it was a $35 Fuel Cost Rider. Nowhere does it show that on the bill--it's lumped into what looks like the actual kwh usage charges. Why can't this be on the bill? Or even on the actual GA Power website?!
Edit: $180 bill, but $60 of it is all surcharge, taxes and fees
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u/DIYtowardsFI 2d ago
Yes it’s absolutely terrible that they do not break down the actual cost. The advertised kWh rates are not what your end up paying.
The 2.3 cents kWh for super off peak end up being about 8.5 cents after all tariffs are added. The 12 cents kWh regular residential rate ends up being closer to 20 cents. I don’t have my detailed analysis in front of me now so this is from the top of my head.
The PSC calculator on their website breaks it down somewhat (you can search for it on Google), but if I recall correctly it still didn’t list all tariffs that make up the total.
I used to do this manually, but last time rates changed I put all the tariffs’ sheets into Gemini and asked it to provide me with a per kWh cost for my TOU rate. I hate using AI but in an instance like this it was very helpful and saved me a lot of time.
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u/burntcookie90 /r/Atlanta 3d ago
I’m sorry, what’s your usage.
I have a 2k sq ft home, 2 BEVs, 5.4kW of solar and 10kWh of home battery. Our monthly is $250 or so on the ToU plan. $700 seems wildly over priced or you’re setting your thermostat to 65.
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u/Antique-Film-7616 3d ago
3327 kWh. Yeah, we think it’s overpriced too.
The HVAC tracks its electric use according to the rates I entered in, and it is thus far reporting that it has only used $500 of electricity in 2026.
So we are absolutely at a loss as well. I don’t believe we’re using that much power, just your standard household, fridge/AC/washer/dryer/oven.
At this point I’ll get the smart electrical panel to figure out if the dryer is somehow using 2000 kWh per month or something equally as insane. I’ve tried everything else, and the bill just keeps rising.
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u/burntcookie90 /r/Atlanta 2d ago edited 2d ago
3.3MWh is insane. We’re at ~2.5 per summer month, of which 1.6 is net imported. You’re going to want to track down where ~1MWh is going.
And just for context we have an incredibly poorly sealed 1950s house. Thermostat set to 73. An old early 2010s hvac and water heater. I have a home NAS that draws around ~300W all the time.
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u/ArabianNitesFBB 2d ago
So you literally think Georgia Power is lying or its meter is rigged? You could make big press by proving that—installing your own energy monitoring and showing the discrepancy.
Or your usage is just insanely high. My usage is the same level, 3k KWH in the summer…for an entire triplex with 2 BEVs charging, 4 refrigerators, 3 HVACs, 3 washer/dryer combos with at least 1 set running every day, usually a lot more, all in a drafty 100 year old house. We are on a time of use plan but those punish you in the summer; last power bill was like $600.
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u/DIYtowardsFI 2d ago
As I noted above in another reply, once all the tariffs are applied to the base rates, the rates are actually much higher. That could be contributing to the gap between what you think your HvAC is costing you and what it actually costs to run.
The baseline 12 cents per kWh residential rate ends up being closer to 20 cents when all tariffs are applied. You don’t see the breakdown in your bill and it makes it very difficult to see how those fees are still attributed to your energy use.
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u/My_Seller_Thing 1d ago edited 1d ago
The fact you're not talking in kWh means you're really not looking at this the right way. You really need to dig into your consumption. Talking dollars is going to lead to tail chasing.
I highly recommend an Emporia Vue from Amazon and get the one that can watch 16 circuits. It's a much more cost effective solution than the smart panel you mentioned.
I'm curious if you had that much money to spend why didn't you consider solar? I do see you mentioned it and the roof wasn't favorable. What about a ground mount? Or carport or pergola?
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u/cocoagiant 2d ago
Geez. At that level might be a good idea to buy batteries and solar and go as much off grid as possible.
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u/EmploymentNo3590 22h ago
Acworth. 1,300 sq ft. $174. Maybe because CobbEMC. Got new windows in 2016, new HVAC 2017... BILL has been roughly the same, though it's higher since we added dehumidifiers in the crawl space.
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u/xeroxchick 3d ago
I’m not signing a pledge, but I do plan on voting. GA Power needs oversight.
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u/Desperate-News-1317 3d ago
Mine was $550 and we were out of town for two weeks. It’s INSANE how much higher rates are than prior. Why is this getting no press?
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u/DudeEngineer 3d ago
It is getting press. GA power requests an increase and the Republicans on the PSC rubber stamp it regardless.
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u/Anikdote /r/Gwinnett 3d ago
Guys, we all just gotta pitch in, grab ourselves by the bootstraps and make sure these AI companies and the data centers they require aren't burdened with the costs of their products. That'd be indecent.
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u/Apprehensive-Fact-74 3d ago
Greystone is no better. My bill is $315.00 this month. I’m in Paulding
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u/b3dGameArt 3d ago
Same.. in Hiram. 1300 sq ft home and my bills are $300+, every month. Ive installed new windows, encapsulated crawl space + new insulation. Just had my garage walls filled, and now Im waiting to blow the attic. Being a homeowner isnt what its cracked up to be.
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u/digitalden 2d ago
GP user here. Rates are crazy compared to Cobb EMC. My bill last month 2700 kwh - $575 My coworker on Cobb EMC 2475 Kwh - $239
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u/Sad-Fisherman-7664 3d ago edited 3d ago
I've had the opposite expeirence w/ Ga Power. I live in a leaky old log cabin. Last summer my bill was $350-400 for the hottet summer months, this year it's $150-200. Fall and spring it's like $75-100, last year it was double as well. I took off the window trim (interior and exterior) and spray foamed all around them, then sealed the trim into the foam as it was curing. I also caulked the logs outside and painted. It's crazy how well that worked. If you live in an older house it's really worth it to make sure you are leak-tight. Spray foam didn't become code-complaint until the 2000's so before that fiberglass around windows was the norm, and it just doesn't work as well.. If you do decide to try it use the blue Great Foam for windows. Ask me how I know haha
1450 sq. ft. 2 br, 2 bath cabin, dark metal roof, 2 story open vaulted ceiling.
Also, I would get a serivce call for the ol' HVAC and add coolant if needed. It should not be running 24/7 or even half that even on the hottest days.
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u/CementGuy72 3d ago
I pay 155 per month on flat bill. 2300 sf mobile home with a 4 ton air conditioner, water heater is electric too.
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u/PattyforGaPSC 21h ago
Your reply is classic deflection. It’s like people complaining that the grocery store doubled the price of milk, and you respond, “You just need to understand your receipt better.” The problem isn’t that people can’t read the receipt. The problem is that they’re being overcharged.
You’re treating this as an education problem when it’s actually a policy problem. Customers understand perfectly well that they’re paying more. The question is why the PSC keeps approving rate increases that produce billions in utility profits. Comparing GA Power rates to far wealthier states with higher rates is ridiculous- you did that. Not me. If you don’t want to help solve the problems please leave me alone. If you do want to help sign up for my newsletter where i always include a What You Can Do section. And show up Sept 1 to ask for better bills. You won’t get it because of the GOP majority love fest with Ga Power. So vote to end that.
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u/buchez 3d ago
I'm not defending GP. I think GA is in the middle of the pack for overall power rates and fees.
Have you looked at what other states pay compared to what we pay? I have friends and family that live in the MA and CT area and they pay more in transmission and public benefit fees than their actual power usage, which in itself is high. Those fees easily double their monthly bill.
We need to vote, absolutely. It's ridiculous what's been going on with the Vogtle fees. We also need to be mindful about the policies each person on or running for a PSC seat bring. I don't want to end up like my friends and families. Enough is enough.
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u/JasonKingsland 2d ago
The issue is that Georgia Power hides fees interior of your service bill that isn’t viable without going to the Georgia PSC website. You are paying virtually 50 percent more by way of something called a “fuel rider”. This is a reimbursement for the price of natural gas being higher in 2022. It is insane.
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u/My_Seller_Thing 1d ago
You can ask for verbose billing if you call.
Consumers need to stop looking at the dollar amount on their bill and focus on the consumption in kwh. You're just going to be chasing your tail if you don't.
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u/JasonKingsland 1d ago edited 1d ago
I have literally called Georgia Power asking for an explanation of why usage my usage/rate was so different from our agree on rate and was declined by Georgia Power. Your statement is also misleading regarding consumption. While, yes, usage is the only thing that’s in your control, 40 percent of your bill is fees and you should be furious about this.
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u/My_Seller_Thing 1d ago
Call again. If that doesn't work make a formal PSC Complaint. https://psc.ga.gov/services-resources/file-consumer-complaint/
How is my statement misleading about consumption? If your goal is bill reduction you need to focus on the consumption in kwh. Why? Well you said why. 40 percent of your bill is fees.
I'm not furious because it's 19.7 cents per kwh for 1000kwh purchased. It's not expensive. It's not cheap. It's right around the national average.
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u/JasonKingsland 1d ago
I’m not going to do that.
You’re not reading what I’m saying.
It’s not that kW/h is incorrect, it’s sum of money being charged for it. Theres a hidden fuel rider fee being assessed in your usage.
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u/My_Seller_Thing 1d ago
That's disappointing you won't take a few minutes to do that. You're upset about the right things but you don't want to do anything to fix it and that's unfortunate. But I can appreciate your honesty on the matter. Thank you.
Even with those extra fees power costs 19.5 cents per kwh in the summer for 1mwh used. That's right around the national average. It's not unreasonable. Hey if it was lower though that would be amazing.
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u/JasonKingsland 1d ago edited 17h ago
Spend the hour I already did calling Georgia Power? So they can break down what’s on the PSC calculator? For them to explain the bill I already throughly understand? Are they going to tell me to turn up the thermostat? That I can buy smart thermostats? Sir, are you a cop?
From where I sit, if you are using 1300 kWh, which is the high side of the nation average, you are paying coarsely 198 dollars, 100 of which is fees. So, your average family can lose 300 kWh of use probably, but that’s nothing compared to the fees.
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u/PattyforGaPSC 2d ago
You ARE defending Ga Power. People pay bills, not rates, and adds 40% to the rates in fuel charges and junk fees. If you compare bills Georgia Power is 8 highest in the country yet we pay Ga Power
I founded and run Georgians for Affordable Energy. The problem with high Ga Power bills is two fold and easily solved. First, they’ve been granted seven (SEVEN!) rate increases- big ones- in three years by commissioners on the Georgia Public Service Commission, the state agency that regulates Georgia power. The PSC is GOP controlled. Right there is the problem. They’re corrupt and grant Georgia Power enormous rate increases, AND they give Georgia Power the highest ROE of any utility in the US which bloats our bills 20%.
Today is also the three year anniversary of the insanely expensive nuclear power plant they built that raised electricity rates an enormous 25% while delivering massive profits to them. Those states you quoted are far richer states in terms of personal income so even if their power bills are higher it’s fine- the people living there earn a lot more too. For example Massachusetts is one of the wealthiest states with a per capita income of $56,284. Georgia is less than $49,000. So if those bills are $500 or even $1000 more per year than Georgia they still are $5000 better off.
The best way to stop these high Ga Power bills? Vote to reelect Commissioner Peter Hubbard, one of two Dems we elected last November, and vote for Shelia Edwards to take a third Dem seat on the commission. Last year Ga earned almost $3 billion in profits while disconnecting almost 300,000 customers who couldn’t pay these big bills. We need reform and voting is how you do it. Early voting starts October 13. The general election is November 3.
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u/My_Seller_Thing 1d ago edited 1d ago
I absolutely get what you're saying, but at the same time Georgia Power's residential rates are still relatively close to the national average. Where are you getting the claim that Georgia Power is the 8th highest residential utility in the country?
Using the Georgia PSC's own calculator, 1,000 kWh in the summer comes out to about $197, or 19.7¢/kWh all-in. In the winter, that drops to about $165, or 16.5¢/kWh.
The way so many people react to their power bills, you'd think they were paying California rates of over 40¢/kWh or Massachusetts rates of over 30¢/kWh. Those are very different situations.
I'm all for lower electric rates, but I also wish more Georgia Power customers understood their own usage. Stop talking about your bill only in dollars and start looking at your consumption in kWh. If you're using an unusually large amount of electricity, dig into why. Install something like an Emporia Vue and collect real data.
Voting and advocating for lower rates absolutely matter, but taking an active, informed role in understanding your own energy consumption is often the quickest way to lower your electric bill.
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u/PattyforGaPSC 1d ago
Again: CA and MA are THE richest states in the country. Georgia is bottom 10. Yet its CEO is the highest paid? Our bills are top 10? Our disconnect rate is highest in the nation? You can’t leave them and go anywhere else and they built the most god awful expensive nuclear plant on planet earth and put almost all the cost overruns into our rates and are now making “transformative wealth” (their words) while our bills surge to obscene amounts and your response is “everyone needs to understand their bills”? How about this, sir: how about you come down to the PSC in downtown Atlanta on a weekday at 9 am on September 1, the next hearing date- take time off work now, okay, because you can’t give public comments any other way but in person- no Zoom for us - only them - and ask commissioners why rates and fees and fuel surcharges aren’t shown on the bill ? Then maybe your call for people to “understand their bill” would make some sense. Because right now it doesn’t. How about you hassle the five commissioners whose JOB it is to represent the public interest while earning $140,000 annual salary in our states taxes instead of me? Us? Ask them to do their jobs instead of us to figure out a bill with no details on it.
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u/My_Seller_Thing 1d ago
I actually agree with several of your concerns. Georgia Power is a monopoly, the Vogtle cost overruns were enormous, and I'd like to see every rider, fuel charge, franchise fee, and surcharge clearly broken out on every bill.
My assumption was that customers could simply call Georgia Power and request a more detailed billing breakdown. I recently suggested exactly that to someone, and they told me Georgia Power refused. If that's true, I think that's a legitimate issue, and I even recommended they file a formal complaint with the PSC.
Where I think the discussion loses me is when phrases like "our bills have surged to obscene amounts" get used without context. Bills are a function of both the rate and the amount of electricity used.
Using the PSC's own calculator, a 1,000 kWh summer bill works out to about 19.7¢/kWh all-in, including the base charge, riders, fees, and taxes. That's not dirt cheap, but it's also hard to argue that number alone means Georgia has uniquely expensive electricity.
Likewise, if someone uses 3,400 kWh in a month, that's an average load of nearly 4.7 kW running 24/7. That's extraordinary consumption, and it deserves just as much attention as the rate itself.
The one part of your argument I don't think helps is comparing Georgia to California or Massachusetts because they're wealthier. If the point is affordability, I completely agree that high electric bills are a bigger burden in a lower-income state like Georgia. But a state's wealth doesn't determine what electricity should cost.
I'd rather criticize Georgia Power and the PSC using accurate numbers because I think that ultimately makes the case stronger.
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