Featured profiles
Profiled Georgia utilities
Georgia Power as the IOU reference, plus the 3 EMCs we have full profiles for.
Investor-owned · IOU
Georgia Power
Southern Company subsidiary
Atlanta, Macon, Savannah, Columbus, Augusta, Valdosta + most populated GA
Regulated by GA PSC, rates set through general rate cases.
Member co-op
Canoochee EMC
East Georgia rural co-op
Bulloch, Bryan, Tattnall, Liberty, Long, Wayne counties
Member-elected board sets rates.
Member co-op
Three Notch EMC
South-central Georgia rural co-op
Pulaski, Houston, Bleckley, Wilcox, Dodge counties
Member-owned, board-set rates.
Member co-op
Colquitt EMC
South Georgia rural co-op
Colquitt, Tift, Worth, Cook counties
Moultrie office for walk-in service.
Why your address matters
Three utility models, one regulated state
Whether your address sits in Georgia Power, EMC or municipal territory is set by the 1973 Territorial Electric Service Act. You cannot switch between them.
Georgia Power · IOU
Private, regulated by the GA PSC, Southern Company subsidiary. Rates set through public rate cases.
- ✓Outage response 24/7, dedicated rate plans.
- !Often the highest residential rate in GA.
~2.7M meters across populated GA.
41 EMCs · Member co-ops
Member-owned cooperatives. Every customer is a member, rates set by an elected board.
- ✓Rates typically 10-20 percent below Georgia Power.
- ✓Annual capital credit retirements return margin to members.
~2M meters in EMC territory.
52 munis · Town-owned
City-owned utilities. Joint generation procurement through MEAG Power.
- ✓Often the cheapest residential rate in GA.
- ✓Locally accountable, town-council rate-setting.
~0.8M meters in muni territory.
Other Georgia utilities
Listed for reference — not yet profiled on this site.
Other major EMCs (23 of 41)
- •Cobb EMC (Marietta, ~210K members — largest).
- •Jackson EMC (Jefferson, ~245K members).
- •GreyStone Power (Hiram, ~125K members).
- •Walton EMC (Monroe, ~145K members).
- •Sawnee EMC (Cumming, ~190K members).
- •Coweta-Fayette EMC.
- •Snapping Shoals EMC.
- •Habersham EMC.
- •Hart EMC.
- •Carroll EMC.
- •Diverse Power.
- •Excelsior EMC.
- •Mitchell EMC.
- •Ocmulgee EMC.
- •Okefenoke REMC.
- •Pataula EMC.
- •Planters EMC.
- •Rayle EMC.
- •Satilla REMC.
- •Slash Pine EMC.
- •Tri-County EMC.
- •Upson EMC.
- •Washington EMC.
Major municipal utilities (8 of 52)
- •Marietta Power & Water.
- •Cartersville Electric.
- •Albany Utilities.
- •Newnan Utilities.
- •Dalton Utilities.
- •LaGrange Utilities.
- •Calhoun Utilities.
- •Acworth Power.
All MEAG-Power-affiliated municipal utilities share wholesale procurement through the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia.
Quick answers
Common questions Georgia households ask about their utility.
Look at the top of your last bill. Georgia Power covers most of metro Atlanta and the populated parts of central, south and coastal GA. The 41 EMCs cover the rural and suburban-fringe areas — boundaries are set by the 1973 Territorial Service Act. The 52 municipal utilities serve their own city limits only (Marietta, Cartersville, Albany, Newnan, Dalton, LaGrange, Calhoun, etc.). You cannot switch between them.
No, not as a residential customer. Georgia is a fully regulated retail electricity market. Only large commercial customers above 900 kW of peak demand can shop. Natural gas in Georgia is deregulated, however — Atlanta Gas Light delivers the gas, and you can pick among certified gas marketers (Gas South, Constellation, Infinite Energy, etc.).
EMCs are member-owned, non-profit cooperatives. Excess margin (the rough equivalent of profit) is retired back to members as capital credits over time, instead of paid to shareholders. EMCs also tend to be smaller and to have lower overhead, and they don't carry the same shareholder-return expectations. Across the state, EMC rates run 10 to 20 percent below Georgia Power's residential rate.
Always your delivery utility, 24/7. Georgia Power outage: 1-888-891-0938. EMC outages: call your specific EMC's outage line (Cobb 770-429-2100, Jackson 706-367-5281, Colquitt 229-985-4151, etc.). Municipal customers: call your city's utility number, usually printed on the bill.
Leave the building first. Once outside, call the gas distributor. In Atlanta and most of north + central GA, that's Atlanta Gas Light: 1-877-427-4321. In other regions, Liberty Gas, SCANA, or municipal gas departments handle distribution. Your bill's emergency number is correct, even if your gas marketer is someone else — distribution is separate from the marketer.
The Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC), a five-member elected body, regulates Georgia Power's rates and major investments (including the Vogtle nuclear plant cost-recovery). The 41 EMCs set their own rates through member-elected boards. The 52 municipals answer to their local city council. MEAG Power is the joint-action agency for the municipals' generation procurement.
Keep exploring GA energy
More U.S. states with energy choice
Same playbook, different utility. Pick another deregulated state to compare utilities, suppliers and switching rules.
