Contact Three Notch EMC

Member service

Check the latest number on the cooperative's official website at threenotchemc.coop or on a recent bill, since smaller co-ops sometimes update their answering systems.

Outage / emergency (24/7)

The 24/7 outage number is the one printed on your current Three Notch bill. Save it in your phone before the next storm.

Headquarters (Donalsonville)

116 W. 2nd Street
Donalsonville, GA 39845

Seminole County, far southwest Georgia

Online member portal

billpay.threenotchemc.com/onlineportal/

View bill, pay, manage account

Cooperative fact sheet

Type
Electric Membership Corp (consumer-owned co-op)
Parent
None: member-owned
Members
~8,200
Service area
6 SW Georgia counties (~2,800 mi of line)
Wholesale supplier
Oglethorpe Power Corp (OPC)
Transmission
GTC
System operator
GSOC
Retail choice?
No for residential. Commercial only above 900 kW
Rate authority
Elected board (not GA PSC)
Founded
1938

What you can do here

  • 1

    Start, stop, or transfer service

    Visit or call the Donalsonville office at least 2 business days before move-in. Bring a photo ID, the service address, and your move-in date.

  • 2

    Report an outage 24/7

    Use the outage number printed on your bill. Crews dispatch from Donalsonville to the affected substation.

  • 3

    Ask about capital credits

    As a member-owner, you accrue patronage capital each year. The board decides when to retire credits as a check or bill credit.

All Georgia utilities

What Three Notch EMC does (and does not) do

Georgia did not split supply from delivery for residential customers. Three Notch owns the poles and wires, buys the power on your behalf, and is the only company you call about your service.

Delivery (always Three Notch)

Distribution lines, substations, transformers, meters, tree-trimming, and the crew that restores power. Roughly 2,800 miles of line serve six rural counties.

Wholesale power (via OPC)

Three Notch buys most of its energy through Oglethorpe Power Corp, the generation co-op the EMCs collectively own. The cost is passed through at the OPC wholesale rate.

Outage response

Three Notch is the only company to call for outages, downed lines, voltage problems, or meter issues. Never call Georgia Power: they do not serve this footprint.

About Three Notch EMC

Three Notch EMC was chartered in 1938 under the federal Rural Electrification Administration program. Like its sister EMCs in southwest Georgia, it was formed to bring electricity to farms and small towns that investor-owned utilities did not find profitable to serve. The cooperative name comes from the old Three Notch Trail, a regional wagon road.

Today the co-op serves roughly 8,200 members through about 2,800 miles of distribution line across six far-southwest Georgia counties. The footprint includes the small towns of Donalsonville, Iron City, Colquitt, Bainbridge fringe, Blakely fringe, and Arlington, and a large rural area of cotton, peanut, and timber agriculture.

Governance is by a board of directors elected by members at the annual meeting. The board, not the Georgia PSC, sets retail rates.

Anatomy of a Three Notch EMC bill

A Three Notch residential bill has three main lines: a fixed basic service charge, per-kWh energy, and a power cost adjustment (PCA) that tracks the wholesale price the co-op pays OPC. None of the three is shoppable.

Line item What it pays for Shoppable?
Basic service charge Fixed monthly fee for meter, billing, the local grid No
Energy charge (per kWh) Per-kWh rate set by the elected board No
Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) Pass-through of OPC's wholesale price; moves up or down monthly No
Taxes & franchise fees State sales tax and any city or county franchise fee No

Reading tip

The PCA is why a Three Notch bill can change from one month to the next even if your kWh stay flat. When natural-gas prices spike at SERC wholesale, OPC passes the cost through to Three Notch, which passes it through to you. The same PCA shows up on every other Georgia EMC bill that buys from Oglethorpe Power.

Three Notch EMC service area

Three Notch EMC delivers electricity in six far-southwest Georgia counties, anchored on Donalsonville and bordered by the Chattahoochee River and the Florida state line.

Donalsonville hub

Seminole County: Donalsonville, Iron City, and the rural area around Lake Seminole and the Chattahoochee River.

Bainbridge / Blakely fringe

Decatur and Early counties: rural fringes of Bainbridge, Blakely, and Colquitt; pecan and peanut agriculture.

Miller / Baker / Clay

Miller, Baker, and Clay counties: Arlington, Edison, Newton, and the rural Flint River corridor.

Full county list: Seminole, Decatur, Early, Miller, Baker, and Clay. Each county is shared with neighboring EMCs (Mitchell EMC, Grady EMC, Three Notch, Diverse Power) depending on the exact address; check your bill or the EMC's service map to confirm.

Residential rate snapshot

EMC rates are set by the elected board, not the Georgia PSC. They are not benchmarked against a Price to Compare because residential customers cannot shop in Georgia.

Georgia residential average

~15.0 ¢/kWh

EIA Electric Power Monthly, March 2026

Rate authority

Elected board

Members vote at the annual meeting

Capital credits

Returned

Retired periodically by board vote

What it means for you

Because there is no retail choice, the only legal ways to cut your bill are efficiency upgrades, weatherization, time-of-use rate plans if Three Notch offers them, and assistance programs like LIHEAP. Always read your current Three Notch bill to see the exact basic charge, kWh rate, and PCA you are paying right now.

Sources: Three Notch EMC; EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A, March 2026.

Three Notch EMC contact directory

For the most up-to-date member service and outage numbers, look at the back of your current Three Notch bill or the cooperative's official website.

Reason for the call Where to find it
Member service Donalsonville headquarters, weekday hours; current number on your bill or threenotchemc.coop
Outage / emergency (24/7) Automated outage number printed on your current bill
Headquarters 116 W. 2nd Street, Donalsonville, GA 39845
Online bill pay billpay.threenotchemc.com/onlineportal/
Downed wire / life safety Dial 911 first, then Three Notch outage line

If you cannot pay your bill

Georgia EMCs work with the state's Energy Assistance Program (EAP) and local Community Action agencies. Apply before a disconnect notice arrives.

LIHEAP

Federal heating and cooling grant run by the Georgia Department of Human Services through local Community Action agencies. Cooling assistance typically opens in May, heating in November.

Community Action agencies

Local nonprofits administer LIHEAP, weatherization, and emergency hardship grants. Dial 2-1-1 for the agency that covers Seminole, Decatur, Early, Miller, Baker, or Clay County.

Deferred payment

Call Three Notch before the due date to set up a deferred payment plan. As a member-owned cooperative, Three Notch will work with members in good faith on a written arrangement.

Can I switch to a cheaper electricity supplier?

No. Georgia is a regulated state with very limited retail choice. Under the Georgia Territorial Electric Service Act of 1973, every address in the state is assigned by law to exactly one electric provider; for the Three Notch footprint, that provider is Three Notch EMC. Switching is not allowed for residential members.

The only exception is a new commercial or manufacturing load of 900 kW or greater at a single location. That customer has a one-time choice among the providers serving the area: Three Notch EMC, Georgia Power, or another adjacent EMC. Once chosen, the supplier is fixed.

For residential members, the legal ways to lower a bill are: efficiency upgrades (insulation, heat pump, LED lighting), time-of-use rate plans if Three Notch adds one, LIHEAP and local hardship grants, and solar plus net-metering within the terms of the EMC's interconnection policy.

Insider insight

The cooperative "Big 3" behind your Three Notch bill

Three Notch, like most Georgia EMCs, sits on top of three cooperatives that the EMCs themselves own. They are sometimes called the cooperative "Big 3":

  • 1
    Oglethorpe Power Corporation (OPC) generates and procures the wholesale energy. It owns a slice of Plant Vogtle (nuclear), gas peakers, and pumped storage, and buys the rest from the wholesale market;
  • 2
    Georgia Transmission Corporation (GTC) owns the high-voltage lines that move power from OPC's plants to Three Notch's substations;
  • 3
    Georgia System Operations Corporation (GSOC) dispatches the system in real time, runs the control room, and handles back-office IT.

When the OPC fuel bill rises, the cost moves through GTC, lands on Three Notch's wholesale invoice, and shows up as the PCA on your monthly bill. That is the chain to keep in mind when rates change.

Frequently asked questions

Can I shop for a cheaper electricity supplier in Three Notch EMC territory?
No. Georgia is a regulated state. The Georgia Territorial Electric Service Act of 1973 assigns every address to a single provider. Residential members of Three Notch EMC cannot shop. The only exception is a new commercial load of 900 kW or more; that customer has a one-time supplier choice.
Who owns Three Notch EMC?
The members do. Three Notch EMC is a not-for-profit cooperative; every customer is also a member-owner. A board of directors, elected by members at the annual meeting, sets policy and rates. There are no outside shareholders.
What are capital credits and when do I get them?
Because Three Notch is not-for-profit, any revenue left after expenses is allocated back to members in proportion to what they spent that year. The board decides each year how much of those allocations to retire: paid out as a check or bill credit. Always update your address when you move, since retirements often happen years after the original year of service.
Who do I call for an outage or downed line?
Call Three Notch EMC at the 24/7 outage number printed on your bill. Do not call Georgia Power; they do not serve this footprint and cannot dispatch a crew. If a wire is on the ground or anyone is hurt, dial 911 first, then Three Notch. Never approach a downed line; assume it is energized.
Does Three Notch EMC deliver natural gas?
No. Three Notch is electric only. In its footprint, natural gas is delivered by Atlanta Gas Light through a competitive natural gas marketer (Georgia's gas market is deregulated), or by a local municipal gas system in some smaller towns. Propane is also common in the rural footprint.
What is Oglethorpe Power and how does it affect my Three Notch bill?
Oglethorpe Power Corporation (OPC) is the generation and transmission cooperative the Georgia EMCs collectively own. It generates or buys the wholesale power and sells it to Three Notch at cost. When OPC's fuel and capacity costs rise or fall, Three Notch passes the change through to your bill on the Power Cost Adjustment line.
How does the board election work?
Members vote at the annual meeting. Directors serve staggered terms, meaning a portion of the seats are up for election each year. One member, one vote; the size of your bill does not change your vote. Eligibility, district maps, and candidate procedures are spelled out in the cooperative's bylaws.
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