ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – In January, your Georgia Power bill will go up 3.5%.

According to a Georgia Power spokesperson, this adjustment represents a $5.85 increase in the monthly bill for an average resident using 1,000 kilowatt hours of energy.

The Georgia Public Service Commission approved the rate increase in mid-December, following similar rate increases in 2023 and 2024.

These annual tariff increases were agreed as part of an agreement between the Commission and the utility for 2022.

“Nobody wants a rate increase, but to keep the network running we have to fund it,” said Commissioner Tim Echols.

Echols said the board negotiated for the rate increases to occur annually instead of all at once in 2022 to limit the impact on Georgia consumers.

He said the state has approved 60% of the rate adjustments sought by Georgia Power.

Echols lamented his customers’ higher energy bills.

“We’ve had too many rate increases in the last three years,” Echols said.

Some customers expressed dissatisfaction with a separate bill increase this summer.

Georgia Power is expected to generate $306 million in additional revenue from the January rate increase, down from the original forecast estimate of $400 million in 2022, according to a state spokesperson.

“Another surge in January, so I’m mentally preparing and trying to budget for that to see what that shock will look like,” said a Georgia Power customer named Marcus.

A Georgia Power spokesperson told Atlanta News First the company is committed to keeping electric bills affordable, saying the average Georgia Power customer pays 15% less than the national average on their energy bills.

“As much as you would hate to see your electric bill go up a few dollars, you would also hate to keep having power outages,” said Echols, who said maintaining a reliable power system is his top priority as commissioner have.

The rate increase comes as Southern Company, Georgia Power’s parent company, reports significant profits.

In an October earnings report, Southern Company reported a profit of $3.9 billion, compared to $3.1 billion in the same period in 2023.

The company said these revenues were partially offset by higher expenses and taxes.

A spokesperson for Georgia Power also acknowledged Southern Company’s gains, attributing the “high performance throughout the year” to weather and growth across the system, they said in a statement to Atlanta News First.

“Our parent Southern Company has reported high performance this year, largely due to weather and growth throughout our system,” the Georgia Power spokesperson said.

Echols said, “I feel like the investments have made Georgia a more reliable place to live and work.”

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Georgia Power highlighted customer assistance programs for those struggling to keep up with their energy bills.

Earlier this year, the utility expanded an income-based rebate program for people with limited income and financial needs.

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