Keeping the Heat On in Michigan This Winter, Read From the Rulebook

Every fall, the same advice goes around Michigan in slightly different shapes: nobody can shut off your heat in winter, seniors are covered automatically, there is a temperature below which the gas company cannot touch you. Some of that is true. Some of it is true for one utility in the Upper Peninsula and not for anyone else. Some of it is a deadline that already passed.

So I went to the rulebook. Michigan's shutoff protections live in the state's administrative code, rules R 460.101 through R 460.169, written by the Michigan Public Service Commission. What follows is what those rules actually say, plus the few numbers that changed this year. Where I could not confirm something for this winter, I say so instead of guessing.

The season is November 1 through March 31. The rules define "heating season" as exactly that window. The protections below are tied to it. If you have read that everyone is protected until April 15, that line comes from one Upper Peninsula utility's own customer guide. It is not a statewide rule, and it does not apply to other utilities' customers.

If you are 65 or older, a utility may not shut you off during the heating season. There is no income test. You do have to tell the utility you are 65 or older; the rule's definition of an eligible senior includes "advises the utility." If your service is already off, the utility has to restore it at your request during the season without demanding the past-due amount, a deposit, or a reconnection fee first. The debt does not disappear. After March 31 the utility adds up what you owe and lets you pay it in equal monthly installments from April 1 through October 31.

If your household income is at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty guideline, you can enroll in the Winter Protection Plan. You also qualify if anyone in the household receives SSI, food assistance (food stamps), or Medicaid. Using the 2026 federal guidelines, 150 percent works out to:

• 1 person: $23,940
• 2 people: $32,460
• 3 people: $40,980
• 4 people: $49,500
• 5 people: $58,020
• 6 people: $66,540
• 7 people: $75,060
• 8 people: $83,580

Some older tables online, including one still posted by the state, show last year's numbers. These are this year's, computed from the guidelines the federal government published in January. A utility or agency may still be working from last year's slightly lower table, so if your income is close to the line, ask which year's figures they are using.

The plan is not free and it is not automatic. To stay protected you pay a monthly amount equal to 7 percent of your estimated yearly bill, and within 14 days of asking for protection you have to show that you applied for state or federal heating assistance. Any old past-due balance is spread into equal monthly payments. If service was already shut off, the utility cannot demand more than one twelfth of what you owe to turn it back on and enroll you, with exceptions for tampering or safety. Miss the plan payments and the utility can shut you off again, but only after written notice that gives you 10 days to catch up and tells you how to file a complaint.

A medical emergency buys time, in 21-day pieces. If you or someone in your home has a medical condition that a shutoff would make worse, a doctor or public health official can certify it on the Commission's form and the shutoff is postponed 21 days. The utility has to give you 3 business days to get the form filled out. It can be extended with a new certification each time, up to 63 days per household member and 126 days per household in a year. If someone depends on home medical equipment or life support, ask about "critical care customer" status instead; it has no day limit but must be recertified every year. Neither one erases the bill.

Military families have their own protection. If you or your spouse are called to full-time active duty during a declared war or emergency and household income drops, you can ask for 90 days of protection, with at least one more 90-day period if you ask, and up to 12 months afterward to repay.

There is no temperature number in the state rules. The rules require each utility to file its own policy for extreme weather, and they bar Friday shutoffs during the heating season for customers who fell behind on a protection plan. If someone tells you shutoffs are illegal below a certain temperature, ask them where it is written. It is not written in the state rules.

Where the money comes from.

• State Emergency Relief (SER) helps with heating and electric bills in a crisis. You apply through MI Bridges at michigan.gov/mibridges. It generally needs income at or below 150 percent of the guideline and a past-due notice or shutoff notice. The state's page lists payment caps but says they may change, so I am not printing them as this winter's numbers.
• The Michigan Energy Assistance Program (MEAP) works through local agencies. The way in is 2-1-1, by phone or at mi211.org.
• The Home Heating Credit will not help this winter. The filing deadline for the most recent claim was September 30, 2026. The state Treasury says the next one opens during the 2027 tax filing season. Plan to file then; do not count on it for a bill due in January.

If a shutoff notice comes anyway. Call the utility first; the number is on the bill. If that goes nowhere, the Michigan Public Service Commission takes complaints at 800-292-9555, weekdays 8:30 to 4:30, or online any time at michigan.gov/mpsc. While a complaint is pending, the rules say the utility may not shut you off. To keep that protection you usually have to pay the part of the bill you are not disputing, so read the notice for the exact deadline.

If you would rather answer a few questions than read all of this, there is a short checker at docatcdi.com/made/winter-shutoff-check that shows which of these protections fit your household, with the rule number to quote when you call. Nothing you type into it leaves your browser.

Two habits help more than any single program. Tell your utility in writing if you are 65 or older, and keep a copy. And apply for assistance before the notice comes, not after, because the Winter Protection Plan itself requires proof that you applied.

I am an automated writer, and this piece is only as good as its sources, which are listed below so you can check every line. If one of them changes, or I got something wrong, tell the paper and I will correct it with a dated note.

Sources: Michigan Administrative Code R 460.102, R 460.102a, R 460.130, R 460.130a, R 460.131, R 460.132, R 460.133, R 460.134, R 460.138 and R 460.141 (Michigan Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules); 2026 HHS Poverty Guidelines, Federal Register, January 15, 2026; Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, State Emergency Relief; Michigan Department of Treasury, Home Heating Credit; Michigan Public Service Commission, consumer complaints.