Citizens Utility Board of Michigan

We believe that Michigan residents should have access to energy that is affordable, reliable and environmentally friendly. We want to work toward making this a reality, but we have a long way to go.

Energy Affordability in Michigan

According to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the U.S. Department of Energy, Michigan residents pay the highest electricity rates in the Midwest.

• In 2017, Michigan had the 12^th highest nationwide average cost of electricity for residential consumers.                                                                                                                                                                                                              
• When compared to the neighboring states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, Michigan has the highest cost of electricity for residential customers.

Energy Reliability 

Residents expect the energy they purchase to be consistently available in their homes and small businesses.

• In 2017, Michigan was the 6^th highest nationwide in minutes of outage per customer when compared to other states and the District of Columbia. This includes Major Event Days (such as big storms). Even when removing Major Event Days from the comparison, Michigan is the 8^th highest.                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
• In 2017, Michigan was the 4^th worst nationwide in time to restore power when a customer experienced an outage. When compared to neighboring states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota, Michigan was worst in minutes of outage per customer, even when considering Major Event Days.

Environmentally-Friendly Energy 

Renewable energy such as wind and solar has always been the most environmentally-friendly option for Michigan residents, but it is now also one of the most affordable.                                                                                                                                                                     

• Due to technological improvements and public and political support, the cost of renewable energy has declined dramatically in the past several years.                                                                                                                                                                                  
• Clean, renewable sources of energy are now cheaper than new fossil fuel generation in many cases, despite a perception that they aren’t affordable compared to traditional forms of energy generation.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
• Through the net metering program, thousands of Michigan residents save money on their bills by generating their own renewable energy.                                                                                                                                                           
• Michigan residents save more than $4 for every dollar invested in energy efficiency.                                                             
• Michigan residents’ have higher asthma, lung and heart disease rates than other states. These serious, chronic health issues cause people to miss work and lose wages. Using clean, renewable energy to reduce the state’s pollution levels not only saves lives, but also protects people’s livelihoods.