Why Your Power Bill Feels Like a Car Payment
By Patty Durrand
GEORGIA – Across Georgia, families are opening their power bills and wondering how they got so high. For many, monthly electric bills have started to look like car payments—$450, $650, some people are even experiencing $1000 electricity bills from Georgia Power. And that is not by accident. The complexity of utility regulation is obscuring a transfer of wealth from the general public to shareholders on a vast scale, allowed by the state agency that is supposed to be protecting us, but isn’t: the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC).
One Commissioner, Jason Shaw, is a Lanier County resident and familiar to many of you. Commissioner Shaw is entering his 2nd year as chair of the Georgia Public Service Commission, yethe is not a Georgia Power customer himself. And it shows.
Over the last two years, Georgia Power has squeezed more and more out of its customers, raising rates a total of six times. And every time, Commissioner Shaw voted yes, in large part because he is not personally impacted, nor is his family or neighbors. Meanwhile, PSC Commissioners claim that rate increases are required for grid stability. The truth is Georgia Power raises rates to expand profits as this graphic clearly slows:
And things are poised to get even worse:On July 1 2025, the Public Service Commission approved a three-year “rate freeze” deal they negotiated with Georgia Power behind closed doors. It was pitched as good news but in reality it locks in the record-high rates that deliver billions in profits.Then, on July 15, 2025, Georgia Power and the Commission approved Georgia Power’s 3-year energy plan, called an Integrated Resource Plan, which is a catastrophe for customers because it authorized enormous levels of new gas generation and continuation of expensive, polluting coal plans that had been scheduled to retire, all for data centers. Of course, Commissioner Jason voted yes on all of it.
Commissioners’ votes to expand fossil fuels are happening even as weather disasters are more dangerous and more frequent. In 2024, Hurricane Helene tore across Georgia, and now designated as the most destructive storm in state history. It knocked out power for days, destroyed homes, took dozens of lives, and ruined crops across rural Georgia. Yet instead of investing in cleaner, less expensive solutions, Commissioner Shaw voted to grow Georgia Power’s reliance on fossil fuels.
Georgia is one of the sunniest states in the country, but we rank 43rd in rooftop solar. Even New Jersey has more solar than Georgia. Community solar and commercial warehouse solar are too low to even rank because of harsh PSC policies. In fact, Georgia ranks 47th in solar per capita despite being a top 10 sunny state.
Since 2015 solar energy and batter storage has dropped 90% in price. These solutions are far less expensive than the fossil fuel path chosen by Commissioner Shaw and the others. In fact, solar is so cheap that the State of Texas added more solar in the last four years than Commissioner Shaw voted to allow Georgia Power to add in fossil fuels because Texas prioritizes low cost in its energy choices.
On November 4th, voters will have a chance to hold commissioners accountable for what they have done to our bills: two seats are up for election. Anyone can vote for both seats: all you need to be is a registered voter. Early voting is October 14 – 31.
Please visit Georgians for Affordable Energy.org to learn more. Because power bills shouldn’t feel like car payments. And Georgians shouldn’t sacrifice their financial well-being so a monopoly can keep getting richer.
Patty Durand founded Georgians for Affordable Energy, a nonprofit that is fighting for fair utility rates and a clean energy future.
