JACKSON, Mich., April 21 /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. 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 an insert 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 $110 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 $76 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 390,000 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, budget plan program manager. Eldred also noted that the Budget Plan works well with a convenient No-fee Monthly Visa online payment option. Customers who choose that option receive their energy bill electronically via an e-mail link, and have their bill charged automatically to their Visa card on the day the bill is presented. Customers can enroll in this program through Consumers Energy's website. Consumers Energy, the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy, provides natural gas and electricity to nearly 6.5 million of Michigan's 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: Jeff Holyfield, +1-517-788-2394, or Dan Bishop, +1-517-788-2395, both of Consumers Energy Web site: http://www.consumersenergy.com/ Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/203850.html

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