Michigan winter utility shutoff protection: who qualifies and how to apply

The protections the MPSC lists

The Michigan Public Service Commission organizes winter help as a set of named programs, and its consumer page for utility customers is where they are listed. They are not automatic. Each one needs eligibility, and several need proof or a certificate, so the useful move is to contact your utility before a shutoff notice arrives.

Programs differ on who they cover and for how long. The sections below take them in turn, using only what the MPSC pages say. Dates and rules can change, so confirm with your utility or the MPSC before you rely on any of this.

Low Income Winter Protection Plan

This plan protects income-qualified customers from utility shutoff from Nov. 1 to March 31. Customers must pay at least 7 percent of the estimated annual bill each month and arrange to pay their arrears before the next heating season.

Eligibility is at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level, or receiving MDHHS cash assistance, SSI, SNAP or Medicaid. You must show proof and that you applied for heating assistance. The page lists income guidelines for 2025-2026 and carries no last-updated date, so check the current figures with your utility.

Reading the dates and the 7 percent

The two winter plans share a window, Nov. 1 to March 31, and the MPSC page does not say what covers a household in October. A household with a past-due balance has a reason to call the utility now instead of waiting for the calendar.

The 7 percent figure is a share of the estimated annual bill, paid each month, and the plan also expects arrears to be arranged before the next heating season. We do not have a worked example in dollars, because the amount depends on your utility’s estimate, so ask for the monthly figure in writing before you enroll.

Senior Citizen Shutoff Protection

Customers 65 and older are protected from utility shutoff from Nov. 1 to March 31, according to the MPSC. The page says to contact your utility to verify eligibility. It names no income test for this program, and we do not add one.

Medical Emergency and Critical Care protection

Medical Emergency Protection gives a 21-day shutoff hold with certification from a physician or a public health official. It can be extended up to 63 days per household member and up to 126 days per household.

Critical Care Protection covers households that use home medical or life-support equipment, and it must be certified annually. Active-duty military customers get 90 days of protection. Ask your utility what paperwork it wants for each one, because the page summarizes the programs and does not walk through filing.

Michigan Energy Assistance Program

MEAP helps eligible low-income households pay for electricity, natural gas, propane, heating oil or other heating fuel. The program is funded by a monthly charge on each utility meter: the MPSC adopted $1.50 per meter per month on April 17, 2026, effective with the September 2026 billing month.

The income limit is 60 percent of state median income. The MPSC’s 2025-2026 table gives $36,517 for a one-person household and $70,225 for four people. The page does not show whether any given household’s funds are still available, and it does not say when money runs out. Households apply through MEAP providers such as the Salvation Army, THAW at 1-800-866-8429 or a local community action agency.

A grant solicitation shows about $93 million in estimated funding, but it is for organizations that run the program, and its application window closed June 12, 2026. It is not a household application and says nothing about what your provider has left.

What the MPSC pages leave out

The MPSC page is organized by program. None of its listings is called “Cold Weather Rules” and none sets a temperature at which shutoffs stop, which is why this guide uses program names and not a phrase some other sites use as though it were official. We also did not retrieve the rule text behind the programs, so the descriptions above come from the MPSC’s summaries and not from the rules themselves.

In practice, nobody should assume a cold forecast keeps the gas or electricity on. A household that is not enrolled in one of the programs above, and is behind on its bill, may have no protection that we can point to.

What a furnace emergency has to do with shutoffs

A furnace is only as useful as the fuel and power feeding it. If gas or electricity is shut off, a perfectly good furnace cannot run, and repairs will not bring heat back. If the service is on and the furnace is dead, the problem is mechanical, and our emergency HVAC page explains how to request help.

The two problems can collide. The assistance programs above are for the utility bill and heating fuel, and nothing we read says they pay for a repair. Ask your utility about a payment arrangement and MEAP while you also ask the HVAC company what the repair involves. If your furnace is simply not starting, work through what to check when a furnace won’t turn on before you call.

For the repair itself, our furnace repair page lists what to ask a company and how to check a license number. If you are running a generator or any fuel-burning heater to stay warm during an outage, read carbon monoxide alarms and furnaces first.

Before the notice arrives

Make three calls in the fall: your gas or electric utility, to ask which protection programs apply to your household and how to enroll; a MEAP provider such as THAW, if your income is within the limit; and, if a household member depends on medical equipment, your doctor, about the certification the utility will ask for. Keep the account number and your last bill with the notes, so each call starts with the details in front of you. Write down the dates, the name of the person you spoke with, and what each person promised, because a record of who said what is the only evidence you will have if the utility and you later disagree.