Shopping guide · Seniors (65+)

Natural gas for Georgia seniors: the discount first, then the plan

If you are 65 or older, two separate things can lower your gas bill: Atlanta Gas Light's income-qualified senior discount, and the senior plans marketers file with the PSC. They are easy to confuse. This guide takes them in the right order.

Numbers from the October 2026 PSC charts
Updated monthly
Plan types, not marketers

less in AGL base charges for a qualifying senior on the PSC's October 2026 chart: $169 /yr
cheapest senior 12-month fixed, with the discount, at 641 therms: $887 /yr
lowest senior variable at this month's rate, same usage and discount: $1,728 /yr

Open Natural Gas is not paid by any marketer and no marketer can pay for placement.

01 · WhoWho this is for

About 1,067,833 Georgia households, 25% of all households, are headed by someone 65 or older (Census ACS 2024, table B25007). That count covers all of Georgia, including areas outside Atlanta Gas Light's territory where there is no marketer to choose.

This guide is for you if you are 65 or older and your gas comes through Atlanta Gas Light. If money is tight, read the tight-budget guide too: low-income seniors have a Regulated Provider option covered there and below.

02 · Step 1Apply for AGL's senior discount

Atlanta Gas Light's Senior Citizens Discount Program takes up to $14 a month off its base charge, the delivery part of every bill (AGL). AGL lists three conditions:

You are 65 or older.
Total household income at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. AGL prints this as $31,920. That matches 200% of the 2026 federal guideline for a one-person household; AGL's page gives one figure, so if more people live with you, check the limit on the application.
The gas account is in your name.

It is not automatic. You apply by mail using AGL's application, linked from its bill payment assistance page. Because it comes off AGL's charge, it works with any marketer, and you keep it when you switch.

What the discount does to a bill

The cheapest senior 12-month fixed plan in October 2026, with and without AGL's senior base charge, for the PSC's typical customer.

$169a year less in base charges for a qualifying senior: $580.53 against $411.05, per the PSC chart's footnote.

A typical October bill, no discount (18 therms)$56.36

70%21%

Same bill, with the discount (18 therms)$42.24

61%28%

A typical year, no discount (641 therms)$1,056.58

55%39%

Same year, with the discount (641 therms)$887.10

46%47%

Show the numbers

Bill with and without the senior discount
Bill	AGL base charge	Gas	Service charge	Total
A typical October bill, no discount (18 therms)	$39.71	$11.70	$4.95	$56.36
Same bill, with the discount (18 therms)	$25.59	$11.70	$4.95	$42.24
A typical year, no discount (641 therms)	$580.53	$416.65	$59.40	$1,056.58
Same year, with the discount (641 therms)	$411.05	$416.65	$59.40	$887.10

Data: Georgia PSC, October 2026 senior chart, footnote 3 (base charge $39.71 for a typical customer and $25.59 for qualifying seniors in October 2026; $580.53 and $411.05 a year), and the cheapest senior 12-month fixed plan by annual cost ($0.650 per therm, $4.95 service charge). Formula: rate × therms + service charge + base charge. AGL describes the discount as up to $14 a month; the PSC's two October 2026 figures differ by $14.12. We show the PSC's figures as printed.

03 · Step 2A senior plan or a standard plan?

Marketers file senior plans on a separate PSC chart: 35 rows in October 2026, not counting the Regulated Provider. The PSC chart lists eligibility for each. Many require that you qualify for AGL's senior discount; others ask only that you are 65 or older; and 16 rows say in their notes that they are open to every customer 65 and over "regardless of income." Check that column on the senior chart or ask the marketer before you count on one.

Then compare the senior plan against the best standard plan, with the discount applied to both, because the discount works on either.

What a year costs a qualifying senior

A typical home (641 therms a year) with AGL's senior base charge on every option. Differences are against the cheapest senior 12-month fixed.

Cheapest senior 12-month fixed$887.10
Cheapest standard 12-month fixed, with the discount$899.70+$12.60
Lowest senior variable$1,728.04+$840.94
Highest senior variable$1,906.95+$1,019.85

Show the numbers

Annual cost for a qualifying senior by plan type
Option	Rate	Service charge	AGL senior base charge	Exit fee	Year
Cheapest senior 12-month fixed	$0.650	$4.95	$411.05	$150 exit fee	$887.10
Cheapest standard 12-month fixed, with the discountAGL's discount applies on any plan	$0.650	$6.00	$411.05	$200 exit fee	$899.70
Lowest senior variableAt this month's rate for 12 months; variable rates change monthly	$1.990	$3.45	$411.05	No exit fee	$1,728.04
Highest senior variableAt this month's rate for 12 months	$2.259	$3.99	$411.05	No exit fee	$1,906.95

Data: Georgia PSC, October 2026 senior and fixed charts. Formula, as in our tables, with the senior base charge in place of the standard one: rate × 641 therms + service charge × 12 + $411.05. Regulated Provider and introductory rows excluded. Where a marketer files a service-charge range, the charge is the one it says applies at sign-up. A variable rate can change every month, so a year at this month's rate is an illustration, not a forecast. Names are in the live senior table.

The senior plan won this month, narrowly. The cheapest senior 12-month fixed came to $12.60 a year less than the cheapest standard 12-month fixed, both with the discount. That gap moves month to month, so compare both tables when you shop.
Over AGL's income limit? Then you pay the standard base charge on any plan. The cheapest 12-month fixed plan open to all customers 65 and over "regardless of income" came to $1,091.00 a year at the standard base charge, against $1,069.18 for the cheapest standard 12-month fixed. So this month, a standard plan was the better buy.
Exit fees. Senior 12-month fixed plans listed fees from none listed to $150, and longer senior terms $150 to $300.

04 · Fixed or variableWhy fixed usually fits a fixed income

On the October 2026 senior chart, fixed rates ran $0.649 to $0.779 per therm across all terms. Standard senior variable rates ran $1.969 to $2.259. Every senior fixed rate was below every senior variable rate.

A variable rate can change every month with no cap, and the months it matters most are the cold ones. A fixed rate means the January bill is a number you can plan around.

05 · More helpLIHEAP, the Regulated Provider and repairs

LIHEAP opens to seniors first

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program pays part of a heating bill and does not have to be repaid. Georgia's Division of Family and Children Services says the heating program typically opens the first workday of December for residents 65 and older and the medically homebound, and the first workday of January for everyone else (DFCS); the draft state plan for this season lists heating assistance starting December 1, 2026 (FFY2027 plan). You apply through your local Community Action Agency, and funds go first come, first served, so confirm your agency's opening date and book early.

Eligibility is household income at or below 60% of Georgia's median income. The last published limit was $34,549 for one person in the 2025-26 heating season (Georgia DHS); check the current income limit with your agency.

Low-income seniors: the Regulated Provider

If your household qualifies as low income through the state, the Regulated Provider's Group 1 has its own senior plans. Its senior 12-month fixed rate in October 2026 was $0.600 per therm with a $1.50 service charge, about $813.65 a year for a typical home with the senior base charge. See the Regulated Provider rates and the tight-budget guide.

06 · TrapsPitfalls to watch for

Thinking the senior plan is the discount. It is not. Apply to AGL separately.
Assuming senior means cheapest. Compare against the standard table every time you shop.
Long terms with big exit fees. Senior terms over 12 months carried exit fees of $150 to $300 in October 2026. Only lock in that long if the rate is clearly better and you are sure you will stay.
Renewal onto variable. Most fixed plans roll onto the marketer's variable rate when they end. Write down the end date.
The account name. The discount needs the gas account in your name. If it is in a relative's name, change it first.

07 · Do itYour checklist

Check AGL's current income limit and send the senior discount application (AGL).
Compare senior fixed plans in the senior table, and read each plan's eligibility.
Compare the standard 12-month fixed plans in the Georgia table.
Ask the service charge and exit fee you will actually pay.
Enroll by the 19th to switch on the 1st of the next month (switching guide).
Put LIHEAP's opening day in your calendar if your income may qualify.

08 · QuestionsCommon questions

Who qualifies for the Atlanta Gas Light senior citizen discount?

AGL says customers 65 or older whose total household income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines ($31,920) may qualify, and the gas account must be in the applicant's name. You apply by mail with AGL's application. Check the current income limit on AGL's page before you apply, because the poverty guidelines change each year.

How much is the AGL senior discount?

Up to $14 a month off AGL's base charge, according to AGL. On the PSC's October 2026 chart, the base charge for a typical customer is $39.71 for the month and $25.59 for a qualifying senior; over a year, $580.53 against $411.05, which is $169.48 less.

Is a senior gas plan the same as the senior discount?

No. A senior plan is a marketer's price for gas, filed on the PSC's senior chart. The discount is AGL's, it comes off the delivery charge, and it works on any marketer's plan. Many senior plans require that you qualify for the AGL discount; some are open to everyone 65 and over. You can have both.

Should a senior choose a fixed or variable gas rate?

On the PSC's October 2026 senior chart, senior fixed rates ran $0.649 to $0.779 per therm and senior variable rates $1.969 to $2.259. On a fixed income, a fixed rate also means a January bill you can plan for.

When does LIHEAP open for seniors in Georgia?

Georgia's Division of Family and Children Services says the LIHEAP heating program typically opens the first workday of December for residents 65 and older and the medically homebound, and the first workday of January for everyone else. Applications go through your local Community Action Agency, first come, first served, until funds run out.

SourcesWhere these numbers come from

Georgia PSC, October 2026 senior pricing chart. Senior plans, rates, service charges, exit fees, eligibility notes; footnote 3 gives both base charges
Georgia PSC, October 2026 fixed pricing chart. Standard 12-month fixed plans and typical-customer assumptions
Atlanta Gas Light, bill payment assistance. Senior Citizens Discount Program terms, LIHEAP phone numbers, HopeWorks
HHS, 2026 poverty guidelines (200% column)
Georgia DFCS, LIHEAP. Opening schedule and eligibility
Georgia DFCS, draft FFY2027 LIHEAP state plan
Georgia DHS, LIHEAP for heating opens (Dec 1, 2025). Last published income threshold
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year, table B25007 (tenure by age of householder)
SCANA Energy Regulated Division, how to qualify

Every PSC figure on this page is recomputed from the latest monthly chart when it is published. Outside figures were checked on 2026-10-09.

Keep goingOther situations

For the bigger picture, start at how to compare natural gas rates in Georgia.

The Georgia Public Service Commission does not rank or endorse marketers.