Shopping guide · Homeowners and families
Best Natural Gas Plan for Georgia Homeowners and Families Heading Into Winter
For Georgia households in a gas-heated house who stay put for a year or more and get their biggest bills in winter. The plan you are on when the cold arrives matters more than any other gas decision you make all year.
- of a year's home gas use falls November to March (EIA, 2024)
- 71%
- cheapest standard 12-month fixed at the PSC's typical 641 therms, October 2026
- $1,069 /yr
- middle of the standard variable chart, same usage, at this month's rate
- $1,933 /yr
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Quick answer
01 · WhoWho this is for
About 1.2 million Georgia homeowner households, 1,215,428 or 43.4% of owners, heat with utility gas, and nearly a third of Georgia households (1,297,201) have children at home (Census ACS 2024, tables B25117 and B11005). Those counts include areas outside Atlanta Gas Light's territory, so not every one of these homes can shop for a marketer.
02 · TimingWhy winter decides your year
Georgia's gas use is lopsided. In 2024, November through March accounted for 71% of the gas delivered to Georgia homes, and January alone was 6.4 times July (EIA).
Most of a year's gas is burned in five months
Share of all gas delivered to Georgia homes in 2024, by month. November through March is highlighted.
Show the numbers
| Month (2024) | Million cubic feet | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| Jan (heating season) | 28,883 | 22.0% |
| Feb (heating season) | 18,050 | 13.7% |
| Mar (heating season) | 12,371 | 9.4% |
| Apr | 7,629 | 5.8% |
| May | 5,467 | 4.2% |
| Jun | 4,628 | 3.5% |
| Jul | 4,514 | 3.4% |
| Aug | 4,526 | 3.4% |
| Sep | 4,529 | 3.4% |
| Oct | 6,704 | 5.1% |
| Nov (heating season) | 11,258 | 8.6% |
| Dec (heating season) | 22,940 | 17.4% |
Applied to the PSC's typical home of 641 therms a year, that is roughly 456 therms in five winter months. So whatever rate you pay in winter is the rate that sets most of your bill. On a variable plan, every 10 cents the rate rises during those months adds about $46.
Many families use more than the PSC's typical home. EIA's figures work out to about 710 therms per Georgia residential customer in 2024 (131,498 million cubic feet ÷ 1,915,244 customers, converted at EIA's Georgia heat content), and that average covers all Georgia gas utilities, not just AGL.
03 · The answerThe plan type that usually fits: 12-month fixed, locked before winter
A fixed rate cannot change during the term. Locked in before November, it covers this winter, next summer, and ends before the following winter's peak, which gives you a natural point to shop again.
It also happens to be cheap right now. On the PSC's October 2026 chart, every standard 12-month fixed rate ($0.650 to $0.897 per therm) was below every standard variable rate ($0.940 and up).
04 · The mathWhat a year costs: a worked example
Here is a typical home (the PSC's 641 therms a year) on different plan types, using filed October 2026 prices. Every figure uses the same formula as our tables:
Annual cost = rate × 641 therms + monthly service charge × 12 + $580.53 AGL base charge
What a year costs, by plan type
A typical home (641 therms a year) on the cheapest plan of each type in the October 2026 PSC chart. Differences are against the cheapest standard 12-month fixed.
Show the numbers
| Plan type | Rate | Service charge | Exit fee | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest standard 12-month fixed | $0.650 | $6.00 | $200 exit fee | $1,069.18 |
| Cheapest 18-month fixed | $0.679 | $6.95 | $200 exit fee | $1,099.17 |
| Cheapest 24-month fixedMetro Atlanta delivery groups only | $0.629 | $6.95 | $150 exit fee | $1,067.12 |
| Cheapest 24-month fixed, any areaNo area limit in its chart note | $0.689 | $5.85 | $200 exit fee | $1,092.38 |
| Cheapest 36-month fixed | $0.759 | $6.95 | $300 exit fee | $1,150.45 |
| Lowest standard variableAt this month's rate for 12 months; variable rates change monthly | $0.940 | $5.95 | No exit fee | $1,254.47 |
| Middle of the standard variable chartMedian of 9 standard variable plans | $1.999 | $5.95 | No exit fee | $1,933.29 |
Worked through for the cheapest standard 12-month fixed: $0.650 × 641 = $416.65, plus $6.00 × 12 = $72.00, plus $580.53 = $1,069.18.
What stands out this month:
- Fixed beat variable. The middle variable plan costs $864.11 more over a year than the cheapest 12-month fixed. The lowest standard variable costs $185.29 more.
- Longer terms were not meaningfully cheaper. The cheapest 24-month plan is $2.06 a year cheaper, and only in metro Atlanta delivery groups. Without that area limit, the cheapest 24-month is $23.20 a year more than the best 12-month.
- Cheapest is not always the lowest exit fee. The next-cheapest standard 12-month plan costs $3.97 more a year and has a $100 exit fee, against $200 on the cheapest.
Two honest limits. A variable rate changes monthly, so a year at this month's variable rate is an illustration, not a forecast. And AGL's base charge is set partly from each home's expected demand on the coldest day (AGL), so a bigger house may pay more than $580.53. Your total will differ; the ranking between plans mostly will not. Names and today's numbers are in the live fixed table and variable table.
05 · Longer termsWhen an 18-, 24- or 36-month plan makes sense
A longer term is a bet that prices will be higher next year than this year. It can be a good bet, but you pay for it with a bigger exit fee and less flexibility. In October 2026 these ran $150 to $300, with the cheapest 36-month plan at $300.
To put that in perspective: a $300 exit fee equals about 47 cents a therm for a typical year ($300 ÷ 641). This month that is far more than the rate gap between the best longer plans and the best 12-month plan.
06 · VariableWhen variable does not fit
A heating household on variable is carrying the market's risk in exactly the months that matter. Variable makes sense for short stays and for people between contracts, not for a family that will be in the same house all winter. If you are on variable now, typically because a fixed plan ended, this is the month to look.
07 · TrapsPitfalls to watch for
- Auto-renewal to variable. Most fixed plans roll onto the marketer's variable rate when they end. At least one marketer's October 2026 filing offers a discount for opting into auto-renewal; ask what rate you would renew onto. Note the end date the day you sign.
- Exit fees. On October 2026's standard 12-month plans they ranged from none listed to $200. Check before you switch away from a current plan, too.
- Comparing rate only. Service charges ran $3.45 to $9.95 a month, and $1 a month is $12 a year. Compare annual cost.
- Budget billing is not a price. Budget or levelized billing spreads payments evenly, but you still pay your plan's rate for the gas you use, settled up later. It smooths a variable rate; it does not protect you from one. Ask the marketer how and when it settles up.
- Expecting switching to cut the AGL charge. It will not. AGL charges explained.
- Area limits. Some low-priced plans are for metro Atlanta delivery groups only. Check your pool group.
08 · Do itYour checklist
- Know your end date on your current plan, and its exit fee.
- Compare 12-month fixed plans on annual cost in the fixed table.
- Ask the service charge you will actually pay, and whether the plan is offered at your address.
- Only take a longer term if the rate is near the best 12-month and you will stay.
- Check the enrollment cutoff in our switching guide (generally the 19th for a switch on the 1st).
- Put the new end date in your calendar.
09 · QuestionsCommon questions
What is the average natural gas bill in Georgia?
The PSC's typical customer uses 641 therms a year. On the cheapest standard 12-month fixed plan in October 2026 that came to $1,069.18 a year including AGL's base charge, about $89 a month on average. But the bill is not even across the year: most of the gas is used November to March, so winter bills run well above that average and summer bills well below.
Should I lock in a fixed gas rate before winter?
For most heating households, yes. In October 2026 every standard 12-month fixed rate on the PSC chart was below every standard variable rate, and a fixed rate cannot rise in January. Our switching guide explains the timing: enroll by the 19th of a month and the new marketer generally takes over on the 1st of the next.
Is a 24- or 36-month gas plan better than a 12-month?
Only if the rate is close to the best 12-month rate and you are confident you will stay. In October 2026 the longer plans were not meaningfully cheaper per year, and they carried exit fees of up to $300. What they buy is protection from next year's prices, not a lower price now.
Can I avoid Atlanta Gas Light's base charge?
No. It is the delivery charge for your home and it is the same whichever marketer you use. AGL sets part of it from your home's expected demand on the coldest day, recalculated each year, so it differs between houses. Seniors who qualify can get a discount on it.
What happens when my fixed plan ends?
Most fixed plans roll onto the marketer's standard variable rate unless you choose a new plan. In October 2026 the middle standard variable rate was $1.999 a therm, about 3.1 times the cheapest standard 12-month fixed rate. Put the end date in your calendar the day you sign.
Keep goingOther situations
For the bigger picture, start at how to compare natural gas rates in Georgia.
Seniors (65+)
“I am 65 or older.”
Apply for AGL's senior discount first, then compare senior fixed plans against standard ones.
Read the guideMovers, renters and first-timers
“I am moving, renting, or setting up gas for the first time.”
Keep the term no longer than your lease; watch the service charge and exit fee more than the rate.
Read the guideTight budget or low income
“Money is tight this winter.”
Check the Regulated Provider's low-income group and LIHEAP before anything else.
Read the guideCredit trouble or no deposit
“I have been turned down, or I want to avoid a deposit.”
Deposits are capped by PSC rule; prepay and the Regulated Provider are the fallbacks, and both cost more.
Read the guide
The Georgia Public Service Commission does not rank or endorse marketers.