Georgians: Tell the Public Service Commission to reject Georgia Power’s proposed fee hike

Georgia Power is looking to charge customers more for electricity, including making it harder for customers to save money by consuming less. The utility’s rate increase proposal, now before the Georgia Public Service Commission, would nearly double mandatory fixed fees.

If the proposal is approved, the current fixed fee of $10 per month will jump to $17.95 per month, meaning a heftier bill that customers can’t avoid by taking steps to curb their usage. Georgians already pay the fourth highest monthly energy bills nationwide, shelling out $344 per month on average for total energy costs. Georgia Power’s broken policies create a system that fails to protect hard-working Georgians.

“If the fee hike is approved, Georgia Power customers would owe more than $215 per year in mandatory fees before even flipping on a light switch,” says Senior Attorney Kurt Ebersbach. “Charging customers more money even if they use less energy is simply not fair.”

The Public Service Commission is holding hearings about this unjust fee hike over the next few months, and will issue a final vote in December.

The commissioners got the message that Georgians need bill relief when they recently ordered Georgia Power to invest more in affordable solar and energy efficiency. They now have the opportunity to decide how much Georgia Power gets to charge its customers, including whether it’s appropriate for the utility to charge burdened customers a higher fixed monthly fee.

With so much on the line, our voices are more important than ever, and that’s why SELC is asking Georgians to speak up now. Make your voice heard—ask the PSC to reject the proposed fee hike today.

This call to action is part of SELC’s Fair Energy Now efforts, a platform we’ve launched with Georgia Interfaith Power & Light and Partnership for Southern Equity to advocate for clean energy and sound decision-making on energy policy to ensure the benefits and burdens are shared equally by all Georgians. To stay in the loop on this important issue, you can follow @FairEnergyNow on Facebook and Twitter.