The Standard Journal

Georgia Power offering special payment plans

Suspension of disconnect­ions extended until July 15 during COVID-19 recovery

- Staff reports

ATLANTA — 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 will be able to pay past-due balances over a six-month time frame between October 2020 and March 2021 with no late fees.

The suspension of disconnect­ions has also been extended until July 15 to continue assisting customers through the impacts of COVID-19.

In addition to the special payment plan, Georgia Power is offering customers the following options:

- 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 with no deposit to take advantage of its special provision for paying outstandin­g balances with no late fees if paid before April 2021.

“We recognize that our customers across the state have endured an extraordin­ary burden due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Kevin Kastner, Georgia Power vice president of Customer Service. “We appreciate the support of the Georgia Public Service Commission as we work to help our customers navigate through these unpreceden­ted times.”

Georgia Power customers can sign up for a special payment plan at www.georgiapow­er. com/paymentpla­n, by logging onto My Account on www. georgiapow­er.com, or by calling 1-888-660-5890.

Relief on summer bills

On June 1, Georgia Power announced that the typical residentia­l customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours will receive an $11.29 credit on their June Georgia Power bill. This reflects implementa­tion of a onetime $51.5 million credit for customers, approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC).

The PSC also recently 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 upcoming 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.

Energy Assistance Programs

Georgia Power partners with nonprofits, 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.

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