Georgia Power electricity bills are high, here’s what officials say is happening

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — The current increase to the electricity bills comes after a late 2022 approval of Georgia Powers Integrated Resource Plan. This plan was approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission and allows for rates to be increased until 2025.

Below is an official statement from Georgia Power about their increased rates.

“At Georgia Power, we understand that energy costs are an important part of the budget for every family and business. That’s why we work every day to run our business efficiently and keep rates as affordable as possible. We proactively take measures to protect customers from rising costs, including deploying the most cost-effective generation resources, sharing energy-saving advice, increasing both the amount and eligibility of our Income-Qualified Discount, and more.”

John Kraft, Georgia Power

According to Georgia Power, the 2022 Integrated Resource Plan or IRP outlines a transition to more economical and cleaner resources.

News 3 spoke with the Tim Echols, Vice Chair of the Georgia Public Service Commission, about the plan they passed in 2022.

“We asked the power company to take a hit, to take a cut, but it’s not cheap to run this grid and keep it reliable, especially when we’re transitioning to clean energy.” Echols said. “As we transition from dirty coal to cleaner things like nuclear and solar and batteries, it’s just more expensive.”

Georgia Power customers are also seeing higher bills as Summer 2024 has had record highs. Echols say once summer rates end, customers can see a drop in their bills.

Increases to electricity bills stem from the price of natural gas increasing for the United States. Echols says relief is around the corner.

“June 1st to September 30th, you’ve got summer rates with Georgia Power,” Echols said. “If you’re a Georgia Power customer, you’re going to see that drop back down after September 30th.”

Georgia Power and Vice Chair Echols recommend looking into other Georgia Power programs to help with the cost of electricity.

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