If you get your power from Sawnee Electric Membership Corp., you may be paying more for service in the near future.

"We just want to prepare our customers for possible rate increases. There are a lot of things on the horizon, especially in the legislature, that may warrant an increase," said Blake House, Sawnee vice president of member services.

According to House, Sawnee has not had a major rate increase since 1989.

Government pressure for more "green" energy practices is one of the main driving forces behind the possible rate hike, which would affect both commercial and residential customers, Sawnee officials report.

"Existing federal requirements, such as those found in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 as well as several proposals that are working their way through the U.S. Congress relating to climate change and mandates to purchase renewable energy, are suggesting that how we collect revenue from our members must change," said Michael Goodroe, Sawnee president and CEO, in a prepared statement.

"Green energy or dealing with climate change is not cheap and all of the proposals in Congress, if they become law, will require that our retail rates go up to meet these mandates."

Sawnee staff are paying particular attention U.S. Congress House Resolution 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act. According to staff, if passed, the resolution would require power providers to purchase an increased amount of renewable energy or pay a penalty and to also pay fees to offset the cost of "constraining carbon in the environment."

The bill has passed the U.S. House and now heads to the Senate.

If the resolution becomes law, Sawnee officials say the corporation could be affected as early as 2014.

"With these things on the horizon, the perfect storm could be coming," House said. "Our customers need to get involved not only by looking at ways to use less energy, but to also let their voices be heard by their elected officials."

Based in Cumming, Sawnee provides service to customers in Hall, Forsyth, Dawson and Lumpkin counties.

Although a decision hasn’t been made concerning rate increases, if the change is deemed necessary, Sawnee staff say that they will notify customers of the increase beforehand.