More than one million people are without power in Michigan after Wednesday's wind storm.
Customers may be eligible for a credit on their electric bill if they experience lengthy or frequent
service outages.
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The credit is in accordance with Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) rules for Service Quality and Reliability Standards. Residential customers may qualify for a $25 credit.
For commercial and other classes of service, the credit is determined based on a customer’s minimum bill. To request an electric outage service credit, customers should contact their electric utility.
There are three types of outage conditions that may qualify for a credit – catastrophic condition outages, normal condition outages, and frequent outages.
Credit Under Catastrophic Conditions: A customer is eligible for a credit under catastrophic conditions if the utility fails to restore service within 120 hours.
A catastrophic condition is defined as an event that results in an official state of emergency or an event that results in an interruption, of 10% or more, of a utility’s customers. *Customers need to notify their electric utilities of the outage.
Credit Under Normal Conditions: A customer is eligible for a credit under normal conditions if the utility fails to restore service within 16 hours after an outage resulting from conditions other than catastrophic conditions.2
Customers need to notify their electric utility of the outage.
Credit For Repetitive Interruptions: A customer is eligible for a credit for repetitive interruptions if experiencing more than 7 interruptions in a 12 month period.
Customers need to notify their electric utility of all service outages.
The date and time of each outage should be noted in a log or written record. Additional notes should
include: when the service was restored, the date and time the company was notified of the outage, and how the company was notified.
Eligible customers should contact their utility to request an electric outage service credit. Customers can contact the MPSC if a credit request is denied by the utility.
Rules regarding outage service credits – and eligibility requirements, can be found in the MPSC’s
Service Quality and Reliability Standards.