Michigan Business Energy Bill Audit Guide

Michigan business electricity choice has a participation limit: the MPSC describes a cap of 10% of an electric utility's weather-adjusted retail sales and a queue when the cap is subscribed. A quoted alternative price therefore does not establish that a new business account can enroll immediately. Gas choice is a separate utility-specific program.

Establish the electric account's actual status

Identify the serving utility and ask whether the account is already on alternative supply, eligible to enter, or waiting in a queue. Preserve written confirmation of any applicable position or enrollment conditions. The MPSC's Electric Customer Choice page links the utility participation information; do not substitute a statewide promise for that account check.

For an existing alternative-supply account, retain the current agreement and the utility-side charges. For a utility-supply account, identify the actual tariff and service class before evaluating a comparison. A mathematical rate difference can be shown as a hypothetical scenario, but should not be described as actionable procurement savings if entry is unavailable.

Compare commercial components carefully

Ask whether capacity obligations and other supply-related components are in the quoted price or separate. Record the current and offered definitions in writing, along with recurring fees and the service period. The calculation only becomes useful once those scopes match.

For a manufacturer or workshop, gather the operating pattern and annual kWh series. Changes in shifts or equipment can alter usage and demand independently. A bill review should not attribute a cost movement to supplier pricing without considering those changes.

Gas eligibility follows the utility program

The MPSC describes Michigan Gas Utilities' choice program for residential and business customers, including program conditions and return-to-utility considerations. That page is specific to MGU. A DTE, Consumers Energy or other gas account needs its own current program and tariff check rather than an assumption that every rule is identical.

Identify the current gas supplier, transportation arrangement and price unit. Ask about minimum terms, any return requirements and recurring supplier charges before comparing. A gas choice conclusion does not establish an electricity choice conclusion for the same premises.

A hypothetical capacity-aware comparison

Assume an eligible, already-authorized business account has 300,000 annual kWh and equivalent constant supply prices differing by 0.3¢ per kWh. The usage-based annual difference is $900. If the offer adds $200 in separate annual fees, the modeled difference becomes $700 before switching cost.

The example makes no claim about a Michigan supplier price, queue opening or available capacity. It also does not independently calculate any separately priced capacity or utility demand cost. If the proposal excludes a component included in the current price, obtain that amount before treating the numerical result as comparable.

Preserve evidence for the decision

Keep the utility eligibility response, contract term, comparable price definitions and twelve-month quantities together. Identify whether the question is a future enrollment opportunity, a current supplier renewal or a utility billing issue. These are different tasks, with different required documents and timing.

For a billing dispute, describe the charge and the supporting tariff or agreement question. Do not characterize a queue limitation or a higher invoice alone as evidence of an overcharge. A useful review isolates the cause before proposing a remedy.

Use the result as a starting point

Once the current and offered components match, use the business bill checker to show the arithmetic. It holds entered prices constant, does not fetch live offers, and does not independently calculate utility demand, delivery or tariff charges. Use the optional twelve-month usage series when one month is unrepresentative.

For an account question, send your business, state, utility and the issue through the first-party review form. Keep bills and account identifiers out of the initial message; arrange document sharing after connecting. A listing in this guide is not a supplier-availability guarantee.