LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – On select summer days in Michigan when the sun decides to roast everyone and electric demand peaks, Consumers Energy has come up with an “awesome” plan to make sure your air conditioning unit uses less energy for a few hours. It’s called the “AC Peak Cycling Program.”

If you enroll in their energy savings program, you’ll receive a whopping $32 in bill credits each summer, plus a $25 gift card to make you feel better about the sweat trickling down your spine. Those incentives are being offered just in case contributing to a better world, helping the energy grid and promoting “clean energy” aren’t enough reason for you to jump on board. And even if the company doesn’t need to call an Energy Savings Event, you’ll still get the credit!

Welcome to the AC Peak Cycling Program.

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On the Consumers Energy website, they describe the AC Peak Cycling Program by saying, “On days when electric demand is high, we may need to call an Energy Savings Event. You’ll be notified ahead of time. During the Event, the device attached to your AC will activate – you don’t have to do a thing. The device will reduce your AC output by 40-75% to help manage energy use.”

In other words, during a time when you need your air conditioning the most, June through September, from noon to 8 pm (but they say it could happen anytime), Consumers Energy will be giving your AC unit a short vacay and having your fan kick around the air that’s already in your home. Events are timed for when everyone and their grandma are using electricity, supplies are running low, prices are sky-high, or the grid is on the verge of a meltdown.

What Consumers Energy says.

Katie Carey, CMS Energy & Consumers Energy Director of External Relations explained the program to Michigan News Source this way: “Our AC Peak Cycling Program works to encourage and reward customers, who voluntarily agree, to reduce energy use at a few peak times each year. Shifting or reducing energy use during those times – typically 2 to 7 p.m. weekdays in the summer – helps to lower rates for all customers and protects the planet by reducing the need to develop new energy sources. We did not call any full-scale events in 2023.”

To be eligible for this spectacularly exciting program, you’ll need to be an electric customer of Consumers Energy and have a central AC system to sacrifice on the altar of energy savings. Once enrolled in the program, technicians will come to your house and schedule a device installation for free. Lucky you! You don’t have to pay to be inconvenienced and hot.

What is an “Event Day”?

On those delightfully scorching days when the electric demand is high, Consumers Energy might call an Energy Savings Event. You’ll get a heads-up, but don’t worry, you don’t have to lift a sweaty finger. Their device will automatically reduce your AC output, ensuring you contribute to managing energy use while contemplating a cold shower.

How AC Peak Cycling “helps” you (spoiler alert: it doesn’t).

When Consumers Energy calls for an Energy Savings Event and forces your AC to take a break, those Events can last up to four hours and then your AC will resume to functioning normally. The company will try to limit the number of Events. However, as our state’s electric companies switch to more unreliable energy as I’ve written about earlier this month, those Events are bound to increase.

Peak demand: the enemy of comfort.

Consumers Energy says that cutting down on energy use during peak demand times reduces stress on the grid and shifts consumption to cheaper off-peak hours. Think of it as a public service… with a side of discomfort. They’ve already been dinging you for using their energy during peak times and now they’ve come up with another way for you to NOT use their product.

Energy savings Events: A fun little surprise.

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While there’s no maximum number of Events per year, Consumers Energy is aiming to keep it under ten. That’s only 40 hours a summer where they will cut back on your cooling! They also admit that back- to-back Events might occur during prolonged heat waves.

Comfort? What comfort?

Consumers Energy says that most participants claim they barely notice the difference during Events. And don’t forget – various factors can influence your home’s temperature, from insulation to oven use. So, maybe think twice before baking that lasagna in July. Or if your house gets too uncomfortable this summer, visit a neighbor or a friend’s house – someone who doesn’t have a kill switch on their AC – or maybe has an old-fashioned window unit.

Opt-out clause: Your one chance to escape even if you enroll.

Consumers Energy customers under AC Peak Cycling Program can opt out of one event per calendar year after they are enrolled by calling the electric company in advance or after an Event has begun. Plan wisely though, because once you use it, there’s no going back until next year. Customers who enroll in the program commit to being in the program for 12 months.

If you rent, are you forced to enroll? Maybe yes, maybe no.

So if you don’t own your own home or rent an apartment or a duplex, what are your options about these forced sweating sessions? Scott Clippert, a resident of Battle Creek, reached out to us about this plan after receiving a “Dear Neighbor” letter from Consumers Energy about the AC Peak Cycling Program.

In the letter, he was notified that his property manager had enrolled him in the program. Luckily, Clippert was able to unenroll from the program after calling Consumers Energy. But what about renters who don’t have understanding property owners who want to make enrollment mandatory? And what about folks out there who are renting an Airbnb, expecting a nice visit in a cool home, only to be forced to stay there in misery when the AC stops running?

The letter that Clippert received said, “Shifting energy demand away from peak daytime hours reduces the need to use less clean, more expensive generation resources.”

In other words, “reliable” energy sources.

Clippert pointed out that the word “reliable” wasn’t used in the wording most likely because Consumers Energy knows that solar panels and windmills won’t produce enough energy for Michigan customers.

Concerns over liability limitations.

Clippert was particularly concerned with the “limitation of liability” paragraph in the terms and conditions in the letter sent to him by Consumers Energy. The wording says, “In no event will Consumers Energy be liable whether in contract, tort (including negligence), strict liability, warranty or otherwise for any direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages connected with or resulting from participation in the program.”

Guess that means you are out of luck if the company causes you or your pets heat stroke, heat exhaustion, a heart attack, a weak pulse, dehydration, headache, kidney failure, seizures, dizziness, vomiting, fainting and falling down the stairs, respiratory issues, exacerbation of chronic conditions, or anything else.

It appears that providing reliable energy and safeguarding the health of their customers isn’t quite as important as their pursuit and management of a clean energy agenda under the forced mandates dictated by Gov. Whitmer and the Democrats in the state.

Vulnerable populations including the elderly, infants, young children, and those with disabilities should probably stay clear of this program as well as those with mental illnesses who already have issues with irritability, anxiety and confusion. This is a disclaimer from me, not Consumers Energy.

Your smart meters: Big Brother is watching.

Consumers Energy uses smart meters to monitor your energy usage in real-time (except for those of us who didn’t allow them to be installed and pay extra each month). These meters rat on your energy usage to your electric company so that they can track your energy usage and let you know when you are “wasting” energy.

The smart meters also provide the data necessary to manage the AC Peak Cycling Program effectively. Translation: they know exactly what you are doing with the AC in your home – and will respond accordingly.

When the electric companies first handed out those smart meters, some of us knew it was only a matter of time before our energy usage was going to be cut, not just tracked.

Right now their AC Peak Cycling Program is voluntary. However, who knows how long that will remain the case as the state ventures into the unknown territory of attempting to operate the energy grid solely on wind and solar power, while also expecting us to charge numerous electric vehicles in our garages.

In the meantime, the decision is yours. Are you ready to sweat a few hours a day to save a few bucks and to be crowned a clean energy electricity hero?