Great Lakes Energy Power Outages (2024)

FAQs

Where does Great Lakes Energy cover? ›

Our service area is comprised of 9 districts within 26 counties in western and northern Michigan, from Kalamazoo to the Mackinac Straits. For more than 80 years, our success has been built around the mutual trust we share with our member-consumers.

How much is the increase? The kWh rate for residential and seasonal members will increase by $0.02202 per kWh and the fixed monthly charge would increase by $5.00. The power supply cost recovery factor will decrease by $0.01687 per kWh resulting in a net kWh rate increase of $0.00514.

Stop Service

Please call our office at 888-485-2537 during business hours to end your service and provide us with a forwarding address for your last bill.

The difference between the bills is based entirely on the highest demand recorded during any given 15-minute period for that month. What Is Demand? “Demand” is the total amount of electricity being used by a consumer at any one time. Demand varies from hour-to-hour, day-to- day, and season-to-season.

The lakes are divided among the jurisdictions of the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York.

This means that all Great Lakes Energy assets – even the poles and wires – are owned by our members. As a member-owned Cooperative, Great Lakes Energy allocates and eventually returns its annual margins (i.e., profits) to its member-owners in the form of capital credit refunds.

Consumers Energy sought the increase to cover investments in generation and distribution assets, safety and legal compliance and enhanced technology, along with increased operations and maintenance expenses and increased financing costs, MPSC said.

Off-Peak, from 7 p.m. - 11 a.m., offers lower pricing and the most time and flexibility to manage your energy use for savings opportunities. On-Peak, from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. on weekdays only, coincides with the time when the electricity grid experiences the heaviest traffic.

Simply put, when people buy more, a shortage in goods drives up price. It's all about the supply chain. On top of that, a large portion of what's driving inflation and rising energy costs is travel price inflation, or “re-inflation after a pandemic depression,” according to Skift.com.

What is energy optimization surcharge? ›

An Energy Optimization (EO) surcharge appears on the electric portion of your utility bill. This surcharge evolved from the State of Michigan mandating that all electric and gas utilities in our state institute energy savings programs. The revenues collected from the surcharge are what fund these programs.

By phone: Call us at 888-485-2537 and follow the appropriate prompts. To pay by credit card, checking, or savings account, you can use the automated phone system. If paying with a checking or savings account and would like help, speak to a member services representative (Monday–Friday, 7:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.).

Electricity is often cheaper late at night or early in the morning, so you can save on your electric bill if you run your heaviest loads during those times. These are typical off-peak hours when not as many people are using electricity.

Insulate Windows, Doors and Pipes

You can save up to 10% on your annual energy bills by sealing air leaks and adding insulation. Install caulking and weatherstripping around doors and windows. Allow warm sunlight in south-facing windows during the day and cover them at night to reduce drafts.

These hours see high electricity demand, typically during mornings (e.g., 6 AM to 10 AM) and evenings (e.g., 4 PM to 9 PM) on weekdays when people are most active. Off-peak hours. These are periods of lower demand, often during the daytime on weekdays (e.g., 10 AM to 4 PM) or overnight (e.g., 9 PM to 6 AM).

The Great Lakes region of Northern America is a binational Canadian–American region centered around the Great Lakes that includes the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin and the Canadian province of Ontario.

They cover more than 94,000 square miles and hold an estimated six quadrillion gallons of water – about one-fifth of the world's fresh surface water supply and nine-tenths of the U.S. supply. The system is invaluable as the source of drinking water for more than 40 million people in the U.S. and Canada.

The Great Lakes are connected through a system of canals and connecting waterways, such as the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair. These enable water to flow from Lake Superior all the way to the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Atlantic Ocean.

The Great Lakes and the Mississippi River basin are connected, but it's an artificial connection. Around the turn of the last century canals and channels were dug that reversed the flow of water. Waters that used to flow into Lake Michigan now flow into the Des Plaines River and eventually into the Mississippi.