Add It Up - Gas gouge

Approximate number of Georgia households that are without heat this winter: 50,000

Number of Georgians households eligible for help with their heating bill from the federally funded Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program: 400,000

Number of Georgia households that received LIHEAP assistance this winter: 103,500

Average annual compensation a Georgia family received from LIHEAP: $239

Average December 2005 gas bill for a Georgia Natural Gas customer on a fixed-rate, 12-month plan: $228

Average bill for December 2004: $163

Amount of LIHEAP assistance currently given to Georgians: $18,679,760

Number of states that supplement LIHEAP with state funds: 24

Amount the state of Georgia supplements: $0

Amount the state could give if it allocated the money saved by the new Gas Tax Relief Act to LIHEAP: $20,000,000

Number of additional households that money could help: 90,000

Sources: Atlanta Gas Light, Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, Georgia Public Service Commission