Consumers Energy Commits $12 Million to Help
Michigan Customers Affected by COVID-19 Pandemic
JACKSON, Mich., Sept. 29, 2020
– Consumers Energy is providing $12 million to help Michigan residents and
small businesses with energy bills, making an unprecedented commitment to
helping customers and communities the COVID-19 pandemic has affected.
“We stand with Michigan and
are working around the clock to help our friends and neighbors through a time
like no other,” said Patti Poppe, Consumers Energy’s president and chief
executive officer. “Our company’s $12 million contribution will provide a
lifeline to many families and businesses, helping them stay on their feet until
we can defeat the pandemic and Michigan can fully reopen.”
Consumers Energy has set a
goal to help about 25,000 households and 1,000 small businesses with this new
assistance. The funding will go directly to customers in need and to Michigan
nonprofit organizations.
The best way for people to
get help is to call 2-1-1, a free service that connects people with nonprofit
agencies in their communities, including the new financial help that Consumers
Energy is announcing. If a Consumers Energy customer is struggling to pay a
bill, they also can call 800-477-5050.
Since
March, Consumers Energy and its charitable foundation have now provided over
$16 million to help Michigan residents. Consumers Energy has mobilized to
respond to customers’ needs:
n Suspending energy shut-offs for nonpayment for residential and most business customers.
n Making payment arrangements for customers in need.
n Providing access to federal, state and local resources that can help small businesses.
“We
knew from the start this pandemic would create unimaginable challenges for many
people and businesses,” said Brian Rich, Consumers Energy’s chief customer
officer. “We’re talking about our neighbors, our friends and even our
co-workers. We know we have an obligation to help our communities stay
resilient through this time.”
Heading
into winter, Consumers Energy also is working to keep energy costs low for
customers. Customers should pay 20% less next year compared to a decade ago, or
less than $2.30 a day, for natural gas.
Consumers Energy,
Michigan’s largest energy provider, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy
(NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.7 million of the
state’s 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.
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Media
Contacts: Katie Carey, 517-740-1739, or Brian Wheeler, 517-740-1545
For more information about Consumers Energy, go to ConsumersEnergy.com.
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