In Michigan, utilities can increase rates without first getting approval, but that means the Michigan Public Service Commission can later reduce them. That’s what happened on Monday, when the Commission ordered Consumers Energy to refund about $39.6 million to customers it overcharged since last May.
The $39.6 million should be returned to customers by January of next year. The Commission also ordered the energy company to start refunding about $73 million from the sale of its Palisades Nuclear Plant, but there’s no timetable on that.
“Consumers must refund about $39M to customers” [Jackson-Citizen Patriot]
(Photo: tsmall)
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CE should have had read the newspaper before jumping like that. Now they are going to pay through the nose.
Huh. I was getting a Palisades credit on my bill for a while — I thought that had been taken care of.
Would explain why my budget plan jumped $21/month last year, though.
$39 Million/(10 Million population of MI/2.51 people per household, average) = about $10 each household. Don’t spend it all in one place.
@ilovemom: Don’t know their respective territories, but DTE also exists here… which is why I won’t see any of these Consumer’s Energy refunds.
@ilovemom: The population of Michigan != the exact number of Consumers customers.
@FatLynn: Probably a bill refund.
@SaraFimm: Exactly, this is just like those class action settlments where people actually recover a small percentage of the actual settlement.
They should build a rule into these settlements that unrecovered amounts need to be paid to a charity or given to low income customers in the form of free power.
@SaraFimm: There is always that (federal?) “Unclaimed Funds” website that shows you if a company has tried to refund you $$ for any reason but couldn’t find you.
Right. Consumers Engergy doesn’t serve the whole state. Aside from DTE, you’ve also got regional services like Alpena Power or Cherryland Electic (Traverse City) at the north end.
@ovalseven: ^How’d my reply to a different comment end up in this thread. Weird.
@ovalseven: Don’t forget Hillman Power too.
Also Sweet some one else from my end of the world.
@ARP: Actually, the utility will have to give back every penny, with interest, and will not get to keep any amounts. I’m not certain how they are refunding this but if they are doing a customer specific refund, they would have to escheat any amounts that were not paid out to the state.
@squinko: My thoughts exactly. Although my dads place should qualify. He has been overcharged big time for years.