JACKSON, Mich., May 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Customers interested in evening out their monthly natural gas and electric bills can sign up for Consumers Energy's Budget Plan. Under the Budget Plan, customers pay an equal amount each month for natural gas and electricity through May 2008. The monthly amount is based on past usage, fuel costs and projected temperatures. Customers can enroll in the Budget Plan by checking a box featured on their Consumers Energy bills. The May bills include a flyer that describes the program in detail. Customers also can enroll on the utility's website, http://www.consumersenergy.com/, or by calling the utility's toll-free number, 800- 477-5050 and selecting options 5, 1, 1. Customers must have their bill payments up to date to enroll. Eligible customers will find their monthly Budget Plan payment amount listed on their May bills. The exact amount will vary from customer to customer. The average residential customer will pay about $108 per month for their natural gas service if they enroll in the Budget Plan this month. The Budget Plan electricity payment for an average residential customer will be about $90 a month. Customers may enroll in the Budget Plan after May, but monthly payments will be slightly higher because there will be fewer months to spread out the energy costs. About 370,000 customers are currently enrolled in the Budget Plan. "The Budget Plan is popular because it offers customers an opportunity to manage their energy costs by paying their annual bill in equal monthly payments. Many of our customers like having a set amount to plug into their family budget," said Karen Eldred, who is responsible for the program. Consumers Energy's natural gas and electric rates are ranked below the national average, said Eldred. In fact, she noted that the utility's natural gas rates are the lowest in the state and rank in the lowest five nationally. Consumers Energy, the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy, provides natural gas and electricity to more than six million of the state's nearly 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties. For more information about Consumers Energy, visit our Website at http://www.consumersenergy.com/ DATASOURCE: Consumers Energy CONTACT: Dan Bishop, +1-517-788-2395, or Debra Dodd, +1-248-433-5781, both for Consumers Energy Web site: http://www.consumersenergy.com/ Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/203850.html

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