Between Nov. 1 and March 31, Michigan Gas Utilities protects a customer who is 65 or older from having service disconnected, and the household’s income does not matter. The protection comes through the utility’s Winter Protection Plan, which lists age 65 as a stand-alone way to qualify. A customer has to enroll by calling the company at 800-401-6402.
Older customers who heat with natural gas in southern and western Michigan should check whether they are signed up before the first cold snap, because the protection covers only people who enroll. The same state program reaches customers of other regulated electric and gas companies, so a Michigan resident who is 65 or older and falls behind on a winter bill can ask the utility about it whatever company sends the bill.
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Age 65 alone opens the door
Michigan Gas Utilities says a customer qualifies for the plan by meeting any one of three tests. The first is being age 65 or older. The other two are receiving cash or food assistance or Medicaid through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, or having household income at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, according to the company’s plan page.
For the 2026-2027 season, the income test works out to $23,940 for a one-person household and $49,500 for a household of four, with $8,250 added for each additional member. A 65-year-old with a pension and a paid-off house can have an income far above those lines and still qualify, because the age test stands apart from the income test.
Seniors owe no set payment during the cold months
The plan treats older customers and low-income customers differently. The company says seniors “are not required to make specific payments during the heating season,” while low-income customers must pay 7% of their estimated annual bill each month from November through March to avoid disconnection.
A senior on the plan is not off the hook for the gas used. Michigan Gas Utilities says any money owed at the end of the protection period has to be paid in installments between April and November. The Michigan Public Service Commission, which regulates the state’s investor-owned utilities, describes the same repayment rule for both groups in its winter protection bulletin.
Because the bill keeps growing through the winter, the balance in April can be large. A customer who pays nothing from November to March will face an installment plan covering the full amount of that gas.
Other Michigan utilities run the same state program
The Winter Protection Plan is not limited to one company. The commission’s bulletin says it applies to electric and natural gas providers whose rates the commission regulates, and it describes the plan as preventing shutoffs from Nov. 1 to March 31. Customers are told to contact their utility to apply, and the commission lists utility contacts on its website.
In the Upper Peninsula, the Mining Gazette reported on Oct. 27, 2026 that the commission and the Upper Peninsula Power Company had finalized the winter guidelines for the 2026-27 heating season. The newspaper reported that all senior customers stay eligible “regardless of household income” and that a senior whose service was cut off before applying must be restored during the heating season without immediate payment, according to its account of the UPPCO plan.
The commission itself takes questions at 800-292-9555 for complaints and inquiries and 517-284-8100 at its main office, according to the same bulletin.
Where a customer signs up and what to have ready
Enrollment at Michigan Gas Utilities is by phone at 800-401-6402. A customer on another company’s lines should call the number on the bill and say the household wants to enroll in the Winter Protection Plan because the account holder is 65 or older.
The company’s page does not list a deadline to enroll, only the Nov. 1 to March 31 window. Waiting until a disconnection notice arrives leaves less time to sort out an account, so customers who are 65 or older and already behind should call before the notice does.
Does shutoff protection cover the whole winter bill?
Shutoff protection keeps the gas on, but it leaves the winter’s bill waiting for April, and older homeowners carry other home costs on top of it. Property taxes, repairs and heating help each have their own application, with their own paperwork and dates.
“The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit” is a 64-page guide that covers heating, cooling and home-repair help for older homeowners and renters. Part 5 is devoted to utilities and home costs, and the kit includes an application log and renewal calendar for keeping track of when each program needs attention.
Get the heating help and the renewal calendar in the Home-Cost Relief Kit →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Warren Cohen is a finance writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, covering personal finance topics including credit, banking, and beginner investing. He earned his degree in business administration from Arizona State University and began his career working in consumer finance, where he gained direct experience with lending and credit systems. He now writes for personal finance websites and fintech platforms, focusing on clear, practical content that helps readers make informed financial decisions.
