Power Bills Are Squeezing Georgians. Voters Could Do Something About It.

Tony Gantt sat in the darkened living room of his Ray City home in southern Georgia, the lights intentionally left off. In the glow of his laptop, he showed a visitor an online exchange he’d had with a state utility official — a reflection of his growing frustration with the steep rise in his electricity bills.

On the social media platform X, Mr. Gantt shared screenshots of his bills to highlight the sharp increase. “My GA Power bill in November 2022 was $159,” he wrote. “Now it’s over $615. It feels like we’re being robbed.”

Tim Echols, a member of Georgia’s Public Service Commission — the body responsible for regulating utilities like electricity — responded. He suggested that a faulty air conditioner might be the problem and asked Mr. Gantt for more details.

But Gantt clarified: his air-conditioning unit was brand new. In his view, the real cause of his unmanageable bills was the steady approval of rate hikes by the commission. “These increases kept happening despite people pleading with you not to raise rates,” he told Echols.

Now, Gantt has a rare opportunity to be heard. This Tuesday, voters in Georgia will participate in a special primary election in which Echols is seeking reelection — the first time in five years any of the commission’s five members will appear on a ballot. The stakes are high, not just for the candidates, but for everyday consumers like Gantt, who are feeling the pinch of skyrocketing energy prices.

Georgia is one of only 10 states where utility regulators are chosen by voters rather than appointed. These commissioners wield significant influence over energy pricing and climate policy, making the upcoming elections a rare public assessment of how those policies have affected household energy costs. Both Echols’ seat and another on the commission will be contested again in the general election this November.

Although relatively obscure, the Public Service Commission has far-reaching authority. Over the past two years, the all-Republican panel has approved six separate rate increases. These decisions have resulted in Georgia Power’s residential customers — the largest customer base in the state — seeing their annual bills rise by an average of $518, a 33 percent increase.

When factoring in other utility expenses like water, natural gas, and internet services, Georgia residents are now among those paying the highest utility costs in the country, trailing only behind states like Alaska, Hawaii, Connecticut, and West Virginia.

It remains to be seen whether discontent over energy bills will drive higher voter turnout for these races, which traditionally receive little public attention. However, a recent Ipsos poll conducted for the advocacy group PowerLines suggests this could be a pivotal moment: three out of four Americans, regardless of political affiliation, say they are concerned about increasing utility costs.

The dramatic rise in energy prices nationwide during 2022 was partly due to a global spike in natural gas prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But Georgia faces additional pressures. The completion of two new nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle came with $17 billion in cost overruns. Added to that are infrastructure investments aimed at meeting the expected surge in power demand from new data centers, which are energy-intensive operations.

Adding further complexity, former President Donald Trump has proposed a domestic policy initiative that, if implemented, could eliminate federal tax incentives for renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. Experts believe this move could drive electricity prices even higher by shifting the focus back toward more expensive and environmentally harmful energy sources.

Similar issues are surfacing in neighboring states. In South Carolina and Florida, Republican lawmakers have begun to push back against utility companies’ aggressive efforts to build new natural gas plants and pipelines, many of which are intended to power data centers.

In Georgia, the utilities have also come under scrutiny. State Senator Chuck Hufstetler, a Republican and the chair of the Senate finance committee, introduced legislation to establish a watchdog agency that could advocate for consumers in legal disputes with utility providers. He also sought to make data centers pay their fair share of the infrastructure costs they generate. Both proposals were ultimately blocked by Republican leadership in the legislature.

“Energy costs are the one thing we absolutely must get under control if Georgia wants to stay economically competitive,” Hufstetler said. “Right now, the Public Service Commission has handed Georgia Power just about everything they’ve asked for.”

Governor Brian Kemp, also a Republican, announced recently that Georgia Power has agreed to freeze its base rates for the next three years. “This freeze will bring some relief to Georgia families at a time when they need it most,” he said.

However, not everyone sees the rate freeze as a win for consumers. Patty Durand, who previously ran for a seat on the commission and now leads a consumer advocacy group, warns that the freeze doesn’t cover rising costs tied to fuel and storm recovery. In a series of TikTok videos, she criticized the timing of the announcement, suggesting it was a strategic move to boost support for incumbent Republican commissioners during the election season.

Since 2007, no Democrat has served on Georgia’s utility commission. Commissioners serve six-year staggered terms and must reside in specific districts, although they are elected through statewide votes. In fiscal year 2024, the salary for a commissioner was just over $128,000.

A lawsuit filed in federal court in 2020 challenged the fairness of these statewide elections, arguing that they diluted Black voting power. The litigation led to the cancellation of elections for two commission seats in both 2022 and 2024. However, a federal appeals court overturned the lower court’s decision, allowing elections to proceed this year.

Echols, who resides near Athens, Georgia, spends much of his time touring the state to speak on issues like electric vehicles and economic development. He also hosts a podcast focused on energy and sustainability. “This job means a lot to me,” he said in a recent interview.

His Republican challenger is Lee Muns, a businessman from the Augusta area. Muns has raised concerns about the increasing number of people losing access to electricity after falling behind on their bills.

The winner of the Republican primary will face Democrat Alicia Johnson in November. Johnson, an executive in health management and community development from Savannah, is alarmed by what she describes as the commission’s approval of unusually high returns on investment for Georgia Power — returns that far exceed industry norms.

“It’s okay for them to make a profit,” Dr. Johnson explained, “but not when it comes at the expense of low-income, rural communities who are barely getting by.”

Financial stress from energy bills could grow worse if President Trump follows through on his proposal to cut a $4 billion federal assistance program that helps low-income families cover electricity costs. Nancy Thompkins, a 65-year-old Savannah resident, recently benefited from the program, receiving a $500 emergency grant to help pay her power bill. “It’s a blessing,” she said.

Another commissioner seeking reelection is Fitz Johnson (no relation to Alicia Johnson), a former defense contractor and candidate for state superintendent of schools. He’s running on a platform focused on grid reliability, rate stabilization, and public safety.

On the Democratic side, three candidates are competing in the primary to challenge Fitz Johnson in the fall: Keisha Waites, Robert Jones, and Peter Hubbard. A fourth candidate was disqualified.

Waites, a former Atlanta City Council member and state legislator, emphasized the need for the commission to serve as a real oversight body. Jones, who previously worked as a state regulator and a Microsoft executive, advocates for banning campaign contributions from utility company lawyers and consultants — people whose work the commission is supposed to supervise. Hubbard, a clean energy advisor, criticized Georgia Power for using what he described as “inflated projections” of electricity needs to justify building more fossil fuel-based plants. “When those projections turn out to be wrong,” he said, “it’s the customers who pay the price.”

Georgia Power spokesman John Kraft defended the utility, stating that the company remains committed to keeping prices reasonable. “Since 1990, our business customers have consistently paid rates about 15 percent below the national average,” he said.

Back in Ray City, Tony Gantt, 59, continues to make sacrifices. He, his wife Jess, and three relatives share their home and have cut all non-essential spending. They canceled streaming services, avoid dining out, and Gantt even sold his beloved Harley-Davidson for a modest Suzuki motorcycle to save on monthly payments.

“We never used to think twice about how much power we used,” he said. “Now, we’re careful with every light switch — and the bills are still higher than ever.”