Georgia Power offering special payment options for customers during COVID-19 pandemic recovery

Rhea-AI Summary

Georgia Power announced a special payment plan for customers struggling with past-due balances due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Customers who enroll by July 15 can defer payments over six months, with no late fees until April 2021. The utility also suspended disconnections until July 15. Additional support includes payment options for PrePay customers and a 17.2% reduction in fuel rates, amounting to $740 million in total savings. Customers may receive a one-time credit of $11.29 on their June bill, enhancing affordability during summer months.

Positive

• Special payment plan available until July 15, allowing customers to pay past balances over 6 months with no late fees.
• Suspension of disconnections until July 15 provides customer relief.
• Approved 17.2% reduction in fuel rates translates to approximately $740 million savings over two years.
• One-time credit of $11.29 to typical residential customers in June enhances affordability.

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• None.

ATLANTA, July 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Power is offering a special payment plan to help customers with past-due account balances accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Customers who enroll by July 15 will be able to pay past-due balances over a six-month timeframe between October 2020 and March 2021, with no late fees.

The suspension of disconnections also remains in place until July 15, and customers with an outstanding balance are encouraged to establish a payment plan, or consider the additional options Georgia Power is offering customers:

• For customers enrolled in PrePay: Georgia Power customers who are currently enrolled in this plan and have past-due account balances can make payments for current energy usage and have a portion of their payments (25 percent) go toward their outstanding balance. No late fees will be charged if outstanding balances are paid before April 2021.
• For customers not enrolled in PrePay: Georgia Power customers with past-due account balances may be eligible to switch to the PrePay rate plan. Customers can sign up by July 15 to take advantage of its special provision for paying outstanding balances with no late fees if paid before April 2021. Customers on PrePay are not charged a deposit.

Georgia Power customers should sign up for a special payment plan by July 15 at www.georgiapower.com/paymentplan, or by logging into the "My Account" section on www.georgiapower.com. They can also enroll using our automated system by calling customer service at 1-888-660-5890.

Relief on summer bills
On May 28, the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) approved Georgia Power's plan to reduce its fuel rates by 17.2 percent and total billings by approximately $740 million over a two-year period. The implementation of a special interim reduction will provide customers additional relief during the COVID-19 pandemic through even lower fuel rates over the summer months. The lower fuel rate and special interim reduction will lower the total bill of a typical residential customer using an average of 1,000 kilowatt-hours by a total of $10.26 per month from June through September 2020.

Georgia Power also announced last month that the typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours would receive an $11.29 credit on their June Georgia Power bill. This reflected implementation of a one-time $51.5 million credit for customers, also approved by the PSC.

Energy Assistance Programs
Georgia Power partners with nonprofit, community and faith-based organizations to offer assistance programs to those in need. These programs include:

• Georgia Power's Senior Citizen Discount – Georgia Power customers 65 years of age or older who meet the income requirements for eligibility can receive up to $24 a month off their bill.
• Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) – Georgia Power supports the Division of Family & Children Services to help qualifying, low-income households pay their home energy bills.
• The Salvation Army's Project SHARE – Established in partnership with The Salvation Army, Georgia Power customers can provide assistance to residents in the same community for expenses, such as utility bills, housing, food and medical necessities.

Visit www.GeorgiaPower.com/EnergyAssistance for more information.

Tips, Tools & Resources
Georgia Power encourages its customers to use online tools to help manage their energy use such as the My Power Usage program, a free service connected to many Georgia Power online accounts. My Power Usage allows customers to track their daily energy use, project their monthly bill, and set daily or monthly usage alerts.

Customers can take advantage of the company's free 23%3A%7E%3Atext%3DOur%2520quick%2520and%2520easy%2520online%2Cmeasure%2520how%2520you%2520use%2520energy&a=Online+Energy+Checkup" rel="nofollow">Online Energy Checkup. The 15-minute quick and easy service provides a customized report to help customers understand their energy use and find ways to save money where you can use your actual power bills to generate a customized report. You will enter information about your home and family to measure how you use energy. Whether customers own a home or rent, tailored tips are available at www.GeorgiaPower.com/Save. This site also includes access to a variety of rebates and incentives for both homes and businesses. Energy efficiency measures for customers include continued development and implementation of new plans and programs approved in the 2019 Integrated Resource Plan.

About Georgia Power
Georgia Power is the largest electric subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), America's premier energy company. Value, Reliability, Customer Service and Stewardship are the cornerstones of the company's promise to 2.6 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy at rates below the national average, Georgia Power maintains a diverse, innovative generation mix that includes nuclear, coal and natural gas, as well as renewables such as solar, hydroelectric and wind. Georgia Power focuses on delivering world-class service to its customers every day and the company is consistently recognized by J.D. Power and Associates as an industry leader in customer satisfaction. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect with the company on Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower [facebook.com]), Twitter (Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower [twitter.com]) and Instagram (Instagram.com/ga_power [instagram.com]).

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SOURCE Georgia Power

FAQ

What special payment options is Georgia Power offering related to COVID-19?

Georgia Power offers a special payment plan for customers to pay off past-due balances over six months with no late fees if enrolled by July 15.

When is the deadline to enroll in Georgia Power's payment plan?

Customers must enroll in the payment plan by July 15 to take advantage of the offered benefits.

What savings can customers expect from Georgia Power's fuel rate reduction?

Georgia Power's 17.2% reduction in fuel rates will save customers approximately $740 million over the next two years.

What kind of credit will Georgia Power customers receive on their June bill?

Customers will receive a one-time credit of $11.29 on their June bills as part of a $51.5 million credit approved by the PSC.