Budget Plan
Learn about the Consumers Energy Budget Plan, a popular payment plan that offers a more consistent bill amount month after month.
Get a More Predictable Payment Year-Round
This program gives you control of your energy use. We average your energy costs from the last 12 months into one steady monthly payment. Every four months, we review your energy use and adjust the payments, if necessary.
Log In & Start EnrollingHow It Works
First, We Calculate Your Monthly Payment
We average your energy bills from the last 12 months to set your predictable payment amount.
Every 4 Months We Review Payment vs. Use
Every four months, we review your energy use and adjust your payment, if needed. You’ll see any changes on your bill or on your account dashboard online.
See Your Account Dashboard See Your Account Dashboard
Every 12 Months We Balance Your Account
After 12 months, any balance rolls into a new Budget Plan payment or your next bill if you de‑enroll. If you’ve used less energy then you paid for it’s credited.
What to Know Before Enrolling
-
You can enroll anytime.
-
Non-energy costs such as Solar Gardens subscriptions or Customer Attach Program loans are not included.
-
You can opt out of Budget Plan anytime. Your remaining payment amount will be added onto your next bill.
- When enrolling, if you didn’t pay your current bill yet, your next auto-payment won’t happen until after you receive your first Budget Plan bill. Note that non-energy related charges will still take place as normal.
- If you de-enroll from Budget Plan and still have a current balance on your account, that balance will be deducted the next day.
Ready to Enroll in Budget Plan?
Log In & Get Started
You can enroll in Budget Plan today, and your first payment won’t be due until next month. Note: Paying any current balance can help lower your Budget Plan payment.
Budget Plan FAQs
Yes, you can enroll into Budget Plan anytime if your past due balance is less than $75 and you have not defaulted on a payment twice in the past 12 months.
Yes. We review your energy use and payment plan amount every four months. If your energy use is higher or lower than expected, we may adjust your monthly payment to help you stay on track.
For example, if your monthly payment plan amount is $100 and you’ve used $100 more in energy than expected over the past four months, we may add $25 to your monthly payment for the next four months. This would increase your Budget Plan amount from $100 to $125. On the other hand, if you’ve used around $40 less in energy, your amount could change from $100 to $90.
Budget Plan doesn’t change your total energy cost — it simply spreads it out so your monthly payments are more predictable.
We offer different ways to help you control your energy use. Our Energy Use Dashboard allows you to see your energy use data over time.
We also offer the My Energy Analyzer app, which lets you track your energy use in real-time--all from your phone.
Last, you can stay notified of your bill amounts by signing up for Bill Alerts to make sure you’re on the right track.
No. The Budget Plan only covers your energy costs—the charges based on your actual natural gas and/or electricity use. It does not include non‑energy costs, which remain separate from your Budget Plan amount.
Yes. If you unenroll, any remaining balance will be applied to your next bill.
Stay on Top of Your Energy Use with My Energy Analyzer
My Energy Analyzer is a free, easy‑to‑use app that lets you see your energy use in real time—making it the perfect companion to help you stay on track with Budget Plan.
About My Energy Analyzer
Other Payment Plans and Bill Management Options
We’re here to help with different assistance and billing options designed to make managing your energy bill easier.
See Assistance OptionsHave Questions About Budget Plan?
We can help. Reach out to us at 800-477-5050.
Ask CE Watts
Consumers Energy may retain a copy of chat communication.