Georgia PSC approves power bill cut, but savings may be hard to notice

The Georgia Public Service Commission has approved a deal that will reduce power bills for millions of Georgians, but skeptics warn it’s a small victory.

The commission was considering the cost of fuel and the cost of cleaning up from Hurricane Helene. The deal lowered the cost of fuel to offset the hurricane costs. 

The monthly bill for an average 1,000-kilowatt-hour customer will go down by about $4.

Commissioner Peter Hubbard, one of two Democrats newly elected to the commission, introduced several amendments to the agreement to address concerns around Georgia Power’s use of coal and how much the company can recoup from storm costs. He told Atlanta News First that the three Republican members rejected the proposals.

“I put forward four motions to be able to improve the deal that was on the table, and I couldn’t find the votes beyond my Democratic colleague,” he said.

Hubbard, who is running for reelection in November, warned that this small cut is not a huge win.

“We had six rate increases over the last few years, and this is the first time it’s going in the other direction. Even if it’s a small amount, it’s about $4 a month,” he said.

The changes to power bills will go into effect on June 1, which is the same day that Georgia Power’s higher summer electricity rate starts. Although the company expects June bills to be lower than they were a year ago, residential customers might not notice a difference in their bills from month to month.