A new report is drawing attention to the number of Georgia Power customers losing electric service for nonpayment as families deal with high summer electricity bills.

According to Inside Climate News, Georgia Power recorded approximately 273,800 residential disconnection events in 2025. Georgia Power’s parent company, Southern Company, says that figure does not represent 273,800 individual households because it includes customers who were disconnected more than once, as well as account turnover involving people moving or temporary housing.

The report says the problem becomes particularly difficult during Georgia summers, when increased air-conditioning use can push monthly electric bills substantially higher. Georgia Power generally disconnects customers about 45 days after a bill goes unpaid, meaning the effects of high summer bills may not show up in disconnection figures until weeks later. More than 100,000 disconnections occurred between August and November 2025, according to the report.

An earlier study cited by Inside Climate News ranked Georgia Power 10th nationally in the number of utility disconnections in 2024, recording 187,007 disconnections among nearly 2.5 million customers. The report noted that all 10 utilities with the highest disconnection rates were located in the Southeast.

Georgia does have protections designed to prevent residential customers from losing electricity during periods of extreme heat.

Under Georgia Public Service Commission rules, Georgia Power cannot disconnect a residential customer for nonpayment when a National Weather Service Heat Advisory or Excessive Heat Warning is in effect, or forecast to be in effect, in the customer’s county on the day the disconnection is scheduled.

However, Inside Climate News reports that the heat protection does not apply in the same way to customers participating in certain deferred-payment arrangements, including Georgia Power’s PrePay program. Under that program, a portion of a customer’s payment can go toward an existing past-due balance while the remainder pays for future electricity use.

The disconnection numbers come amid continuing debate over electricity costs in Georgia. Customers have faced rate increases associated with the expansion of Plant Vogtle, while Georgia Power and state regulators are also dealing with rapidly increasing electricity demand associated with large data centers.

There has been some recent relief. In May, the Georgia Public Service Commission approved agreements involving fuel and storm-recovery costs that resulted in an estimated $4.03 monthly reduction for a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month, although actual savings vary depending on usage and rate plans.

For customers having difficulty paying their electric bills, the Public Service Commission says utilities have assistance options that can include payment plans and deferred-payment arrangements for qualifying customers.