Lost power in Michigan? You may be eligible for credit on next bill

If you lost power this past weekend as storms and dangerous heat moved through Michigan, you may be eligible for a credit.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel today reminded Consumers Energy and DTE customers they may be eligible for a $25 credit if they were without power for more than 16 hours as a result of recent electric outages.  

Consumers are 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.

The most recent event is considered a catastrophic condition, defined as an event that results in an official state of emergency or an event that results in interruption of 10 percent or more of the utility’s customers and the utility fails to restore power within 120 hours. 

Credits are also available for repetitive interruptions if a customer experiences more than seven interruptions in a 12-month period. Customers need to notify their electric utility of all service outages and should record the date and time of each outage; when the company was notified of the outage and how it was notified; and when the service was restored. 

Any customer of an electric utility regulated by the Michigan Public Service Commission is eligible for this credit.  Customers must contact their utility to determine whether they are eligible for the credit. Online forms for Michigan’s two largest utilities – DTE and Consumers Energy – are available by clicking on these links: