How It Works
You help conserve energy by temporarily shifting or reducing your electricity use on select Energy Savings Event days throughout the season.
For every kWh of electricity you’re able to reduce or shift away from 2 – 6 p.m. on these days, the more you’ll earn in bill credits.
In the days following the event, we’ll send you an energy use report to let you know how much you earned.
Participating in Energy Savings Events means you’re earning money and helping reduce energy use during the most critical hours on the hottest days of the year!
Peak Time Rewards FAQs
Energy Savings Events will usually occur up to 14 times during the summer months of June through September. This will be on non-holiday weekdays from 2 – 6 p.m. Events may be called because of an electric supply emergency or when we expect peak electricity demand. This happens especially during hot and humid weather. See Terms and Conditions for more details.
During an event, your electricity use in kWh (kilowatt-hours) is compared with your typical electricity use on similar weather days when there is no event. On event days, you can earn $1 per kWh that you reduce if you use less energy than on similar weather days during that time.
Yes, the Peak Time Rewards Program is risk free. If you’re unable to participate in an event, you can choose not to reduce or shift your electricity use on an Energy Savings Event day. You will simply earn $0 for the event since your energy use will likely not be lower than on a non-event day.
Peak demand is the time of day when customers are using the most electricity. This is most common during air conditioning season, from June through September, in the late afternoon (2–7 p.m.). However, electric demand can also spike during especially cold days. By lowering energy use during peak demand hours, you lower stress on the energy and shift energy use to less expensive off-peak times.
The Summer Rate is the standard rate for Residential electric service customers. It consists of “on-peak” and “off-peak” rates:
With the Summer Rate, you can save money all summer long by reducing electricity use during the “on-peak” time, or shifting use to mornings, nights and weekends.
The Peak Time Rewards Program is an additional program you can join to help reduce electricity use on days of high energy demand during the summer. On up to 14 Energy Savings Event days each summer, you agree to reduce or shift your energy use even more than normal from 2 – 6 p.m. (one hour less than the Summer Rate is in effect), and you earn $1 per kWh reduced if you use less energy than you do on normal summer days during that time.
With both the Summer Rate and the Peak Time Rewards Program, when you use energy is just as important as how much you use. Your actions can save you money AND help ensure a cleaner energy future for Michigan.
Simple Ways to Shift Electricity Use
In the morning, pre-cool your home at 2-3 degrees lower than
normal. Then, just before 2 p.m., set your thermostat 3-5 degrees higher than
normal. Or install a smart thermostat to help schedule changes for you.
Do the dishes and laundry before 2 p.m. or after 6 p.m., or wait
until the weekend.
Plug electronic devices into a smart plug to prevent them from
consuming more energy even when they’re off or in standby mode. Schedule
your smart plug to turn off devices during event hours.
Reducing or shifting your energy use on event days means you’re earning money and helping conserve energy use during the most critical hours on the hottest days of the year. The more you shift, the more you earn!