Electricity in Michigan

Companies offering net metering in Michigan include DTE Energy, Consumers Energy, and BWL Lansing Board of Water and Light. The state has poor net metering and feed in tariffs that make solar and other alternative types of electricity generation more feasible.

The average energy loss for electricity providers in Michigan is 3.81%. This includes data from 27 suppliers, including DTE Energy, Consumers Energy, and Great Lakes Energy. The United States average is 2.76%, meaning Michigan ranks 34th best in the United States for energy loss efficiency.

Motivating citizens to purchase private solar panels can definitely be a challenge due to high initial costs. Governments can help by passing legislation for tax breaks and rebates for those who purchase solar panels. Michigan currently offers no state tax credit to consumers who install solar panels at their place of residence. There are currently no state sponsored rebates available to consumers who are purchasing solar panels. Michigan residents have the ability to apply a 100% property tax exemption for the purchase of solar, which is great news for the consumer and solar efforts. Residents in the state do not have access to a sales tax exemption when installing private solar.

Legislation drawn up at the state level affects whether a state is friendly towards customers searching for renewable energy sources. Many states require green fuels to make up a portion of the fuel used for electricity production by providers in the state. These stipulations are referred to as Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS). Michigan, sadly, has only a limited or optional plan established. In addition, there are currently no low income solar programs to help low income families to install solar panels.