Is a fixed rate always cheaper than a variable rate?

No. A fixed rate buys certainty, not a discount. It can be above the variable rate when you sign and stay there for the whole term, or below it. What a fixed rate guarantees is that the number will not move for the length of the contract.

What happens when my fixed-rate contract ends?

Most plans roll onto the marketer's standard variable rate unless you act. That rate is not capped and can be well above what you were paying. This is the single most common way a good deal in Georgia quietly becomes a bad one, so note your end date when you sign.

What is a prepaid gas plan?

You pay before you use the gas rather than being billed after. There is normally no credit check and no deposit, which is the point of it, but some prepaid plans are billed as a flat monthly amount with no per-therm rate at all, so they cannot be compared on rate and we do not rank them.

Guide · Last updated September 18, 2026

Fixed, Variable, Prepaid and Senior Gas Plans in Georgia

Illustration: four sealed envelopes marked with a lock, a weather vane, a slot, and a star.

Georgia marketers file their prices with the Public Service Commission on four separate charts, and the chart a plan sits on tells you most of what you need to know about it. Here is what each type actually commits you to.

Fixed

A rate per therm that cannot change for the length of the term, usually 12 months, sometimes 6, 24 or 36.

What it buys is certainty, not a discount. A fixed rate can be above the going variable rate on the day you sign. What it does is stop the number moving, which matters most in a market where the cheapest available rate has ranged from $0.338 to $0.999 per therm since 2019.

The catch is the end date. Most fixed plans roll onto the marketer’s standard variable rate when the term expires unless you do something. That rate is not capped. Put your end date in a calendar the day you sign.

Fixed plans usually carry an early termination fee if you leave mid-term. Ours are shown beside every plan on the fixed comparison.

Variable

A rate the marketer can change every month, for any reason, with no cap.

Variable is genuinely right for some people: if you expect to move, or you want no termination fee and no term, it is the flexible option. But it requires you to actually watch it. A variable rate that drifts up a cent a month is easy to miss on a bill you barely read.

Compare current variable rates on the variable page.

Introductory and promotional

A low rate for a short window, typically one month, that then becomes something else.

The PSC’s charts list these separately from standard variable plans, and so do we, because ranking a one-month teaser against a twelve-month rate would be comparing two different products. When you see an unusually low headline number in this market, check the term before anything else. A one-month rate is an advertisement, not a price.

Prepaid

You pay before you use the gas rather than after.

The appeal is no credit check and no deposit, which makes it a real option for people who cannot pass one. The trade is that some prepaid plans are billed as a flat monthly amount with no per-therm rate filed at all. Those cannot be ranked on rate against anything else, so on our prepay page they show no estimated annual cost and sort last. That is a limitation of the filing, not a judgement about the plan.

Senior

Marketers file separate senior plans on the PSC’s senior chart, generally for customers 65 and over. The chart carries both variable and fixed senior plans, and we list them separately for the same reason as above.

Worth knowing, because it is a different thing that people conflate: Atlanta Gas Light separately offers a discount on its base charge for customers 65 and over with household income at or below 200% of the federal poverty guideline. That is an AGL programme you apply for, not a marketer plan, and it reduces the delivery half of your bill rather than the gas half. See the senior plans.

Regulated provider

Not something you shop for. The PSC designates one marketer, currently SCANA Energy’s regulated division, to serve customers who cannot get a contract elsewhere: low-income households and customers marketers have declined on credit grounds. Its rates are approved by the Commission rather than set freely, which is why they sit on their own page and are never ranked against competitive offers.

Choosing between them

Most households are choosing between fixed and variable, and the honest version is:

Take fixed if a surprise on a winter bill would actually hurt, or if you know you will not look at this again for a year.
Take variable if you are moving soon, or you genuinely will check the rate monthly and switch when it moves.

Whichever you choose, compare on estimated annual cost rather than the advertised rate, because the monthly service charge is part of what you pay and the rate alone hides it.

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

Common questions

Is a fixed rate always cheaper than a variable rate?: No. A fixed rate buys certainty, not a discount. It can be above the variable rate when you sign and stay there for the whole term, or below it. What a fixed rate guarantees is that the number will not move for the length of the contract.
What happens when my fixed-rate contract ends?: Most plans roll onto the marketer's standard variable rate unless you act. That rate is not capped and can be well above what you were paying. This is the single most common way a good deal in Georgia quietly becomes a bad one, so note your end date when you sign.
What is a prepaid gas plan?: You pay before you use the gas rather than being billed after. There is normally no credit check and no deposit, which is the point of it, but some prepaid plans are billed as a flat monthly amount with no per-therm rate at all, so they cannot be compared on rate and we do not rank them.
Who qualifies for a senior gas rate in Georgia?: Marketers file separate senior plans on the PSC's senior chart, generally for customers 65 and over. Separately, Atlanta Gas Light offers a discount on its base charge for customers 65 and over whose household income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty guideline, which you apply for rather than receive automatically.
What is the regulated provider?: A marketer the PSC designates, currently SCANA Energy's regulated division, to serve customers who cannot get a contract elsewhere: low-income households and customers marketers have refused on credit grounds. Its rates are approved by the PSC rather than set freely, and you do not shop for it.

More guides

How to switch marketer: What switching gas marketer in Georgia actually involves: the 19th-of-the-month deadline, what it costs to leave a contract early, and what does not change at your house.
How to read your bill: Your Georgia gas bill has two halves, one you chose and one you did not. What each charge is, which ones switching can change, and why half the bill is the same for everyone.
Pool groups and availability: Atlanta Gas Light's system is split into nine geographic pool groups, and marketers restrict some of their best plans to the Atlanta ones. Here is how to tell whether a rate is open to you.