Why is my bill higher?
From seasonal weather to faulty appliances, many factors can impact your monthly energy bill. Learn about these factors and what you can do to manage your energy usage and save money.
Weather Fluctuations
About half of our energy costs come from heating and cooling our homes. We recommend keeping your thermostat set to 78°F in the summer and 68°F in the winter. More energy-saving tips can be found here.
Faulty Appliances
A faulty appliance, such as a leaky water heater, can lead to a surprisingly high bill. We recommend having a licensed contractor perform seasonal checkups of your cooling and heating units to avoid system failure and higher-than-normal bills from unknown energy usage.
Longer Billing Cycle
Some billing cycles are longer than others, so your bill may be higher if there are more days than average in the billing cycle. Refer to the "Service Period" on your bill for the length of your billing cycle.
Unpaid Balance
Your bill may be higher if you are carrying a balance from a previous month or another related account within Georgia Power. If you need assistance, please check out our available resources.
A Full House
During times of higher occupancy and activity, such as holidays and school breaks, your energy usage can be higher than normal. To review your usage, login to your account and My Power Usage.
Peak Time Energy Usage
If you have a rate plan with cheaper rates during off-peak hours, like the Nights & Weekends Plan, a billing cycle with increased usage during peak hours could result in a higher monthly bill. Want to know if you have the right plan? Visit our rate advisor.
Seasonal Rates
Some rate plans, like our Residential Plan, have scheduled seasonal pricing throughout the year. For example, summer pricing reflects higher costs of electricity production due to increased demand. In contrast, winter pricing is lower as the production costs decrease. Learn more about pricing and rates.
Rate Case Change
We have a responsibility to plan, prepare, and make the investments to best serve our customers. Through the 2022 rate case, rates were set at a level that will enable us to continue making the essential investments to meet our customers’ evolving energy needs. Learn more about the 2022 rate request.
Fuel Case Change
Like gas prices at the pump, prices for the fuel we use to generate energy fluctuate throughout the year. Since our last fuel request in 2020, Georgia Power incurred an additional $2.1 billion in fuel costs for the benefit of customers. While we do not earn any profit from fuel costs, we do adjust rates to recover under-recovered and projected future fuel costs. Read more about the 2023 fuel case here.
Vogtle Unit 3 & 4
Vogtle Unit 3 entered commercial operation on July 31, 2023 and Vogtle Unit 4 entered commercial operation on April 29, 2024. With all four units in operation, Plant Vogtle is the largest generator of clean energy in the nation, expected to produce more than 30 million megawatt hours of electricity each year.
Helping Georgians manage energy better
Energy-saving tips, tools, and resources to help you manage your electric bill, reduce energy usage, and find energy assistance programs.