Shopping guide · Tight budget or low income
Money tight this winter? Check help first, then pick a plan you can predict
Before you compare marketers, find out whether you qualify for help: LIHEAP grants that do not have to be repaid, and the Regulated Provider's low-income rates. Then avoid the two things that blow up a winter budget: a variable rate in January and an introductory rate that resets.
- Regulated Provider Group 1 12-month fixed, typical home, October 2026
- $1,039 /yr
- cheapest standard 12-month fixed, same usage
- $1,069 /yr
- of the PSC typical customer's year falls in Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar
- 73%
Open Natural Gas is not paid by any marketer and no marketer can pay for placement.
Quick answer
01 · WhoWho this is for
545,126 Georgia households, 13%, had income below the poverty line (Census ACS 2024, table B17017). The programs below reach further than that: LIHEAP's limit is set at 60% of the state median income, and the Regulated Provider's low-income limits are higher than the poverty line. This guide is for anyone who would struggle with a winter gas bill. If you are 65 or older, read the seniors guide too, for AGL's senior discount.
02 · FirstLIHEAP: when it opens and who qualifies
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program pays part of a home heating bill directly to the company, and it does not have to be repaid. In Georgia it is run by the Division of Family and Children Services through local Community Action Agencies.
- Opens the first workday of December for residents 65 and older and the medically homebound (DFCS).
- Opens the first workday of January for all other eligible residents. The draft state plan for this season lists heating assistance from December 1, 2026 (FFY2027 plan).
- Income at or below 60% of Georgia's median. 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.
- First come, first served. Agencies pay until the money runs out, and opening dates can vary by county, so call yours early.
AGL's assistance page also lists United Way 211 and other bill-help programs.
03 · Low incomeThe Regulated Provider's low-income group
Georgia's Regulated Provider serves two groups at rates the PSC sets. The PSC chart's footnote describes Group 1 as "low income customers who are qualified by the State Dept. of Human Services." You do not shop for it: you qualify through your local Community Action Agency, which verifies income, then enroll with the Regulated Provider.
Its posted income limits run from $33,038 for a one-person household to $63,535 for four (SCANA Energy Regulated Division); check the current limits there. It says it may ask income-eligible customers for a $100 deposit after a credit check.
In October 2026, Group 1's 12-month fixed plan cost less than the cheapest standard 12-month fixed for a typical home: $1,038.54 a year against $1,069.18. Its exit fee was $50. A 6-month Group 1 fixed plan was also filed, at $0.689 per therm. Every row is on our Regulated Provider page.
04 · The mathWhat a year costs on each option
A year on each option
A typical home (641 therms a year) on each option in the October 2026 PSC chart. Differences are against the cheapest standard 12-month fixed.
Show the numbers
| Option | Rate | Service charge | AGL base charge | Exit fee | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regulated Provider Group 1, 12-month fixedLow-income customers qualified through the state | $0.649 | $3.50 | $580.53 | $50 exit fee | $1,038.54 |
| Cheapest standard 12-month fixed | $0.650 | $6.00 | $580.53 | $200 exit fee | $1,069.18 |
| Regulated Provider Group 1, variableAt this month's rate for 12 months | $0.994 | $3.50 | $580.53 | No exit fee | $1,259.88 |
| Lowest standard variableAt this month's rate for 12 months; variable rates change monthly | $0.940 | $5.95 | $580.53 | No exit fee | $1,254.47 |
| Middle of the standard variable chartMedian of 9 standard variable plans | $1.999 | $5.95 | $580.53 | No exit fee | $1,933.29 |
The gap that matters most is not between fixed plans. It is between fixed and the middle of the variable chart: $864.11 a year more than the cheapest standard fixed plan for the same gas. Even the lowest standard variable rate came to $1,254.47.
05 · WinterThe five months that set your budget
The PSC's own typical customer uses 471 of 641 therms a year (73%) in Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, according to the monthly charts from November 2025 to October 2026. That is where a rate difference turns into real money.
Nov to Mar: the winter on each option
The PSC's typical customer for those months, at October 2026's rates. The tag shows the single biggest monthly bill.
Show the numbers
| Option | Rate | Service charge | AGL base charge | Exit fee | Winter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group 1, 12-month fixed | $0.649 | $3.50 | $288.43 | Peak bill $149 (Jan) | $611.61 |
| Cheapest standard 12-month fixed | $0.650 | $6.00 | $288.43 | Peak bill $151 (Jan) | $624.58 |
| Lowest standard variable | $0.940 | $5.95 | $288.43 | Peak bill $187 (Jan) | $760.92 |
| Middle standard variable | $1.999 | $5.95 | $288.43 | Peak bill $320 (Jan) | $1,259.71 |
At the middle variable rate, the PSC's typical Jan bill would be $319.77, against $151.19 on the cheapest standard fixed plan.
06 · TrapsBudget billing and introductory rates
- Compare annual cost, not rate. The service charge is part of the price: $1 a month is $12 a year.
- Know your end date. Most fixed plans roll onto variable when they end.
- Falling behind? Call the marketer and your Community Action Agency early. If marketers turn you down, the Regulated Provider's Group 2 must serve you, at a higher price; see the credit and no-deposit guide.
07 · Do itYour checklist
- Call your Community Action Agency about LIHEAP and Group 1 income verification (find yours via DFCS).
- 65 or older? Apply for AGL's senior discount as well (seniors guide).
- Not eligible for Group 1? Compare 12-month fixed plans on annual cost in the fixed table.
- Avoid variable and introductory rates going into winter.
- Ask about budget billing if even payments help, and how it settles up.
08 · QuestionsCommon questions
When does LIHEAP open in Georgia?
Georgia DFCS 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 all other eligible residents. You apply through your local Community Action Agency, first come, first served, until funds run out, so confirm your agency's date.
Who qualifies for LIHEAP in Georgia?
DFCS says total gross household income must be at or below 60% of Georgia's median income, you must be responsible for the heating bill, and you must be a U.S. citizen or legally admitted immigrant. The last published limit was $34,549 for one person (2025-26 heating season); check the current limit with your agency.
What is the Regulated Provider's Group 1?
The PSC's low-income group: customers qualified through the state Department of Human Services, served by the Regulated Provider at PSC-set rates. In October 2026 its 12-month fixed plan worked out to $1,038.54 a year for a typical home, against $1,069.18 for the cheapest standard 12-month fixed. You qualify through your local Community Action Agency.
Does budget billing lower my gas bill?
No. Budget billing spreads payments evenly across the year, but you still pay your plan's rate for every therm and the account is settled up later. It makes a winter easier to plan for; it does not make gas cheaper, and on a variable rate the settle-up can be large.
Is a cheap introductory gas rate a good idea on a tight budget?
Usually not. In October 2026, introductory variable rates ran $0.390 to $0.997 per therm, but only for the first bill or first few bills. Then they become the standard variable rate, $1.999 in the middle of the chart, just as winter bills arrive.
SourcesWhere these numbers come from
- Georgia PSC, October 2026 fixed pricing chart. Regulated Provider Group 1 and Group 2 rows; footnote 7 defines the groups
- Georgia PSC, October 2026 variable pricing chart
- Georgia PSC, monthly charts November 2025 to October 2026. Typical therms and AGL base charge for each month
- Georgia DFCS, LIHEAP
- Georgia DFCS, draft FFY2027 LIHEAP state plan
- Georgia DHS, LIHEAP for heating opens (Dec 1, 2025)
- SCANA Energy Regulated Division, how to qualify
- Atlanta Gas Light, bill payment assistance
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year, table B17017 (poverty status by household type)
Every PSC figure on this page is recomputed when a new monthly chart 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.
Homeowners and families
“I own or rent a house heated by gas and stay put through winter.”
Usually a 12-month fixed plan, locked before the cold months.
Read the guideSeniors (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 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.