How DTE, Consumers customers can get $40 per day for power outages

As utilities work to restore power to southeast Michigan customers in the dark following severe storms that struck during the holiday weekend, some customers may be entitled to $40 daily credits to their electric bill.

In September 2024, the Michigan Public Service Commission increased the credit Michiganians can receive for enduring extended power outages up from $38 a day to $40.

Who’s eligible for the credit?

Customers of Michigan’s regulated electric utilities qualify for the credit when their power remains out for at least 16 hours when fewer than 1% of the utility’s customers are affected; 48 hours when between 1% and 10% of customers are without service; or 96 hours during major outages affecting at least 10% of customers.

Customers also qualify when they experience more than six power interruptions lasting at least five minutes within a 12-month period.

Once an outage qualifies, customers receive another $40 for each additional day they go without power.

The biggest share of power outages in Metro Detroit began around 6 p.m. on Friday. If fewer than 10% of customers lost power, customers should qualify if power wasn’t restored by 6 p.m. on Sunday. If more than 10% of customers lost power, then customers would not qualify unless power remains off at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

How to apply

As of March 2023, eligible customers do not need to apply for the outage credit. Under Michigan Public Service Commission rules, regulated utilities must automatically apply the credit to qualifying customers’ accounts.

Residential customers receive the greater of $40 on their monthly customer charge, while commercial customers receive a credit based on their minimum bill.

Following widespread outages over the weekend that have lingered into Monday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is urging affected residents to use her department’s Power Outage Credit Feedback & Inquiry Form to help the state track outages and credits.

Customers who believe they qualify but do not receive a credit should contact their utility or the Michigan Public Service Commission.

Thousands still without power

Powerful thunderstorms swept across southeast Michigan on Friday, bringing destructive winds, heavy rain and lightning that toppled trees and downed power lines.

Utility crews continued restoring electricity Monday, though tens of thousands of southeast Michigan customers remained without power.

As of 3:30 p.m., more than 78,000 customers of DTE Energy and Consumers Energy were still affected, down from roughly 97,000 earlier that morning and more than 300,000 immediately after the storms.

DTE reported about 78,800 outages Monday afternoon, compared with more than 218,000 on Saturday, while Consumers Energy’s total had fallen to about 11,000 from more than 87,000.

DTE said repair crews were working as quickly and safely as possible as another round of showers threatened the region.

DTE aimed to have power restored to 95% of its affected customers by the end of the day Monday, with the remaining customers restored by the end of Tuesday. Consumers said its crews were working “around the clock … to restore power to every customer as safely as possible.”

mreinhart@detroitnews.com