Savannah Utilities Guide: Water, Power, Gas, Trash & Internet

If your address is inside the City of Savannah limits, water and sewer are provided by the City of Savannah Water Resources department — (912) 651-6460. Addresses in Pooler, Garden City, Port Wentworth, Thunderbolt, or Tybee Island are served by those municipal utilities. Some Skidaway and unincorporated Chatham County properties use private wells. If you're renting through Mopper Property Management, we'll tell you exactly which provider covers your address before move-in.

Pay your City of Savannah water bill at savannahga.gov by logging into the Utility Services online portal with your account number from the bill, or by calling the 24-hour pay-by-phone line. You can also set up free auto-pay from a checking account, mail a check to the address printed on the bill, or pay in person at 2 E Bay St. Credit card payments carry a small convenience fee charged by the processor.

For a typical 2- or 3-bedroom Savannah rental, expect roughly $265–$440 per month in combined utilities: $130–$200 for Georgia Power electricity, $50–$85 for City of Savannah water and sewer, $25–$55 for natural gas if equipped, and $60–$100 for internet. Summer cooling and winter heating push the high end. All-electric homes skip the gas line item but usually run higher on electric.

Georgia Power is the only electricity provider in Savannah. Set up new service online at georgiapower.com or call 1-888-660-5890. You'll need a Social Security number for the soft credit check; without one, or with limited credit history, expect a refundable deposit of $100–$300. Service is usually active within one business day of your requested start date. Schedule at least 2–3 business days ahead during peak moving months (May–August).

City of Savannah water service typically requires a refundable deposit of $50–$150 for residential renters, depending on credit history and the property type. The deposit is returned after 24 months of on-time payments or when you close the account in good standing. Homeowners and accounts with established positive utility history may qualify for a deposit waiver.

Not all do. Many Savannah rentals — especially newer apartments, townhomes, and recently renovated single-family homes — are all-electric. If gas is present (typically powering the water heater, dryer, range, or HVAC furnace), you'll need to pick a gas marketer separately. Atlanta Gas Light owns the lines, but billing goes through a marketer like Gas South, SCANA, or Georgia Natural Gas. Ask your property manager before move-in to confirm.

Compare every certified marketer on the Georgia Public Service Commission rate chart (psc.state.ga.us). Look at the per-therm rate, the monthly customer service charge, and whether the rate is fixed or variable. Fixed-rate plans of 6–12 months protect against winter spikes; variable-rate plans can look cheap in summer but jump sharply when demand rises. Avoid plans with cancellation fees if you might move within the year.

Pooler residents get sanitation through the City of Pooler. Tybee Island has its own city sanitation department. Garden City, Port Wentworth, and Thunderbolt each run their own. In unincorporated Chatham County (outside any city limits), trash is private — most homes contract with Waste Pro, Waste Management, or Republic Services and pay the hauler directly. Your property manager or HOA usually has a preferred provider already in place.

City of Savannah trash and recycling pickup days are assigned by neighborhood. Use the address-lookup tool on savannahga.gov/199/Sanitation to find your day. Recycling runs every other week on the same day as your trash. Yard waste pickup follows a separate weekly schedule. Holiday weeks shift pickup by one day — the city posts the adjusted calendar each November.

Schedule electricity and water to be active the day you take possession of the keys. Submit applications 1–2 weeks before move-in to avoid surprises — Georgia Power and the city water department occasionally need extra time for new residential connections, and the May–August moving rush stretches lead times. Internet installs book out 1–2 weeks, so schedule that early too. Gas takes the longest at 3–5 business days.

It depends on the lease. In most Mopper-managed single-family rentals, the tenant pays every utility (water, electric, gas, internet, sanitation). In some apartment buildings, water and trash are bundled into the rent. Lawn care for single-family rentals is usually the tenant's responsibility in Savannah unless the lease says otherwise. Always read the utility responsibility section at signing — we walk through it with every Mopper tenant.

Hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30. Sign up for Georgia Power outage alerts and bookmark the outage map, enroll in CEMA (Chatham Emergency Management Agency) CodeRED notifications, and keep the city's water boil-advisory page on hand. Stock 1 gallon of water per person per day for 3 days, fully charge devices when a storm is named, and never run a generator inside a garage or near windows. Your property manager will share evacuation guidance if Chatham County calls a zone evacuation.

Call each provider 5–7 business days before move-out to schedule a final read and disconnect: City of Savannah at (912) 651-6460, Georgia Power at 1-888-660-5890, your gas marketer, and your internet provider. Provide a forwarding address so any deposit refund and final bill reach you. If you're moving within Savannah, most providers can transfer service to the new address on the same call.

Check first that the main shut-off valve (water) or main breaker (electric) inside the home isn't off. If they're on but you have no service, call the provider directly — City of Savannah Water at (912) 651-6460 or Georgia Power at 1-888-660-5890 — with your account number and confirmation of your start date. Then notify your property manager. Mopper tenants can reach our maintenance line 24/7 and we'll coordinate directly with the utility if needed.