City electricity among best deals in the state

Staff Writer

The City of Thomaston, with the exception of Dalton Utilities, has the lowest per kilowatt electricity rates in the state, according to statistics provided by the Georgia Public Service Commission.

For 500 kilowatt hours, residential customers in the City of Thomaston pay $31.31, according to a PSC residential rate survey for winter.

Meanwhile, Georgia Power customers using the same amount of electricity will pay $37.38 while those signed up with Upson County EMC pay $47.25, according to the PSC.

"We try to make sure our rates are reasonable," said Thomaston Mayor Hays Arnold. "We do have to make a profit, but we do no more than maintain a reasonable margin."

Arnold said talk that the city has high power bills is just that, talk. "There are misconceptions on the part of some folks because when some make complaints, others take it as the bonafied truth."

The lowest electricity rates in Georgia can be found in Dalton, where 500 kilowatt hours costs only $19.95 while the city that charges the most for power is Whigham, which charges its customers a whopping $59.37 for the same amount of power.

The rate paid by Upson EMC customers is about the middle of the pack when looking at electric membership corporations in Georgia. Twenty EMC's charge more than the local $47.25 per 500 kilowatt hour rate while 19 EMC's charge less for the same amount of power.

An employee of the city's utility billing department said the city's "power bills" seem high because it includes much more than just electricity.

"The garbage service is $10 per month while there is a $2 charge for picking up other items such as limbs and grass, etc.," she said. "Water is billed at $2.78 per 1000 gallons with a base charge of $6.50. Sewer is billed at $2.64 per 1000 gallons with a base charge of $6.50."