(WXYZ) — Consumers Energy and DTE customers may be eligible for a $25 credit if they were without power for more than five days as a result of 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. However, according to DTE the recent outages due to the intense storms qualify as a catastrophic event because more than 10 percent of their customer base has been affected.
Catastrophic conditions are 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. Once the 120 hour period is reached, customers will be eligible for the credit.
According to DTE, the outage that happened over the weekend is considered a catastrophic outage because more than 10 percent of the customer base was affected.
“The weekend storms in some parts of Michigan have left hundreds of thousands of electric customers with extended interruptions in services and it’s important we remind them that they may be entitled to a credit as a result of those interruptions,” said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel in a release.
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.
“And while we appreciate the utility companies for their around-the-clock work to restore power to their customers, it’s important we continue working together to ensure better reliability for our residents.”
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 DTE and Consumers Energy are available by clicking on these links:
•DTE customer outage credit form
• Consumers customer outage form
