Consumers Energy: how it credits the solar power you send to the grid
Outflow credits at the power-supply rate: about 8 to 16 cents per kWh, depending on the rate plan and time of day.
Checked November 12, 2026. Utilities change these rules; check the current tariff before you sign.
How it works
Consumers pays 8 to 16 cents depending on plan and hour; we use the middle, about 12 cents. That estimate is about 60% of Michigan's average electricity price.
Consumers Energy, serving much of Michigan's Lower Peninsula outside Detroit, uses the same inflow/outflow method as DTE.
Summer peak hours pay the most for outflow on its time-of-use plans.
Outflow credits offset charges on later bills.
If your system makes more than you use over a month, the outflow credit carries forward as a dollar amount, not as kWh.
What it means for a typical Michigan home
An average Michigan home uses about 7,620 kWh a year. A 5.5 kW system costs about $14,135 at the 2026 median price and makes about 7,101 kWh in its first year, of which we assume about 4,260 kWh goes out to the grid because no one is home to use it.
| First-year savings | Payback | 25-year savings, after the price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| With Consumers Energy's credit | $1,080 | 14 years | $17,782 |
| If every exported kWh earned the full price | $1,422 | 10 years | $28,723 |
The difference, about $10,940 over 25 years, is what Consumers Energy's rules cost a typical system compared with full net metering. Using more of the power at home, while the sun is up, closes some of that gap. Uses Michigan's average electricity price; Consumers Energy's own prices may be higher or lower. Paid in cash, no federal credit, prices rising 2.5% a year, one inverter replacement.
Also in Michigan: DTE Energy (10.9¢ (est.)).
All 55 utilities · Solar in Michigan · Lease and PPA terms by company
Sources: Palmetto: Michigan utility guide; U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), final 2025 data: Annual State Historical Spreadsheets (Form EIA-861, released October 7, 2026) and Electric Power Annual (October 21, 2026); EnergySage: median quoted price, first half of 2026.