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Understanding and Paying My Bill

Get help to understand your bill and get easy access to options for receiving and paying your bill.

QUESTION OR CONCERN about your bill? View our frequently asked questions or contact us.

View Sample Bill (electric and natural gas)

As a regulated utility, Consumers Energy is obligated to meet many safety and reliability performance measures. The company maintains equipment, operates the business and receives an authorized rate of return.

When necessary, we file a request with the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) to adjust rates to reflect market trends, business costs and investments we make to serve our customers.

We normally read your meter each month to determine the amount of energy used, and then prepare your monthly bill. You have 21 days to pay your bill from the date the bill is issued. A 2 percent late fee may be added.



Understanding My Bill

Residential Electric Service Rate Descriptions

Qualifying customers may choose only one credit provision and may save up to $72 on their annual electric bill. Call (800) 477-5050 to apply:

Income Assistance ($6 monthly credit): To qualify for this provision, you must have received a Michigan Home Heating Credit (HHC) or ensure your total household income does not exceed 150 percent of the federal poverty level. Consumers Energy automatically will qualify electric customers for the income assistance provision upon notification of a customer's eligibility from a qualifying agency. The customer will be responsible for providing documentation every year to maintain enrollment in the income assistance provision.

Life Support ($4.90 monthly credit): To qualify, customers must contact Consumers Energy when a primary member in their household is on life support equipment and provide a physician's confirmation on a company form. Those previously on the utility's life support rate will be placed automatically on the life support provision. For emergency reasons, customers who notify us they are on life support will be identified in our system whether or not they choose to receive the credit. Download physician's certification form 2044. You also may qualify for the American Red Cross Identification Program.

Small Farm ($4.90 monthly credit): Customers who operate their farm for commercial use and home through the same meter may be eligible. Those previously on the utility's small farm rate will be placed automatically on the small farm provision.

Senior Citizen ($3 monthly credit): A residential customer 65 years or older and head of the household qualifies for this credit. The income assistance credit is designed to help seniors on fixed incomes. If you sign up for the income assistance provision, you will be removed from the senior citizen provision.

Time-of-Day

If you use the majority of your electricity in the evening, early morning and/or weekends, you may benefit from requesting this revised rate. Call us at (989) 791-5645. Previously available to customers averaging 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electric use per month, it is now open to any residential customer, who chooses to have their energy use metered, based upon on-peak and off-peak periods.

Estimated Bills

A highly sophisticated program is used to estimate energy usage with great accuracy. The program uses your past 18 months use along with weather data for the same 18 months. Through a complex formula, the program estimates your current use.

If you haven't used service for 18 months, our system uses average statistics to compute the estimate. As long as your lifestyle remains the same, our estimating system is very accurate. When your lifestyle varies, it is more difficult to provide an accurate estimate.

High Bills

Higher than normal energy bills can be caused by many factors, including the following:

Days in a billing month. The average number of days billed each month is 30. A few days more or less could make the total amount due higher or lower than previous months. You are billed only for the "energy use" shown on your bill.

Additional summer appliance/increased electric and natural gas use. Air conditioning, dehumidifiers, swimming pool pumps and hot tubs generally increase energy use in the summer months. Also, the addition of a new appliance such as a plasma TV or second refrigerator will increase electric use.

Actual or estimated meter read. Estimated meter reads followed by an actual read or an inaccurate meter read could affect the total amount due.

Change in lifestyle. A new baby, college student home for the summer, new additional living space or someone now working from home will increase energy use. These lifestyle changes typically increase hot water use, laundry costs and heating and cooling costs.

Weather. Hot and humid days create more opportunities for running the air conditioner. Likewise, on colder days the furnace will work harder.

Rate changes. Changes or increases in electric and natural gas rates can affect the total amount due.

Summer/Winter Rates. The cost of electricity is higher in the summer because of greater demand and other factors. This difference will be reflected in summer rates (June - September) and winter rates (October - May).

Receiving and Paying My Bill

Shut off of service: Before we shut off service, we send a shut-off notice 10 days in advance. The notice indicates the earliest date that service may be shut off and how to avoid it. If you receive a shut-off notice, you may contact us before the notice expires to pay what you owe or enter into a settlement agreement. Learn more