The 2021 Utility Performance Report—the latest entry in our annual series of scorecards that rank Michigan utilities compared to those in the rest of the country—is out now! Like last year’s report, this year’s edition again finds that Michigan utilities perform worse than average on most measures of reliability of service, affordability of energy and levels of […]
A question that has come up often after so many Michigan residents lost power in multiple instances this summer is: “why don’t we bury power lines underground?” It seems like a simple solution to a big problem, and burying power lines does indeed improve reliability. But it is also very expensive, and may not be
Electric Reliability Must Be Improved Cost-Effectively Read More »
The MPSC held a technical conference on Oct. 22 that provided a diverse range of perspectives on the electric reliability problem in Michigan, and what to do about it. The conference also included a presentation from CUB of Michigan Executive Director Amy Bandyk, who gave a preview of our upcoming 2021 Utility Performance Report, the
Video Available for Michigan PSC Conference on Reliability and Outages Read More »
The political investigation into Michigan’s problem of frequent power outages and what to do about it ramped up with a state House Energy Committee hearing on Oct. 13 in which representatives from both sides of the aisle voiced dissatisfaction with the job done by Michigan’s investor-owned utilities. The questions representatives asked of the hearing’s only
Michigan Reps, GOP and Dem Alike, Call for Action About Power Outages at Hearing Read More »
Consider: You’re in college and you need to get at least a C- to pass a class you are taking pass/fail. Right now your average grade in the course is an F. Say you do well enough on your final exam to raise that average to a D. Is that progress? Technically, yes. A D
Big news coming out of the Michigan Public Service Commission on Aug. 25 for anyone who wants to avoid more electric reliability crises like the hundreds of thousands of Michigan utility customers who have lost power during thunderstorms over the past few weeks! The MPSC approved an order that mandates Michigan’s investor-owned utilities submit reports
New MPSC Order Is Step Toward Turning Around Unacceptably Poor Electric Reliability Read More »
Following recent mass power outages after severe thunderstorms, the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) is accelerating efforts to implement new protections for Michigan utility customers, MPSC Commissioner Tremaine Phillips said in a meeting with stakeholder groups Aug. 18. Those efforts include making it easier for customers to access credits that reduce their electric bills following
MPSC To Move Faster on New Protections Following Outages, Commissioner Phillips Says Read More »
Which is better: helping a lot of utility customers with their bills a little bit, or giving a lot of assistance to a smaller number of customers? That turns out to be a key question when looking at how Michigan implements the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) compared to how neighboring states implement
Michigan, LIHEAP and Energy Affordability Read More »
In a recent op-ed in the Lansing State Journal, Citizens Utility Board (CUB) of Michigan Executive Director Amy Bandyk writes that it is “the utilities themselves,” rather than other alleged culprits like rooftop solar customers, that “have made our electricity more expensive and unreliable by failing to invest in the distribution system wisely.” What exactly
More Spending on the Grid Means Better Power? Not Always Read More »
A little over a year ago we were concerned about the pandemic causing thousands of utility customers to not be able to pay their bills, creating a huge backlog of customer debt. While we know that many of those fears did indeed come to pass, it has been difficult to determine the extent to which
New Database Reveals Key Figures on Utility Customer Arrears and Shutoffs Read More »
