LANSING – The Michigan Public Service Commission on Monday approved five settlement agreements reconciling 2012 energy optimization costs and revenues and revising those surcharges for five separate electric and natural gas utilities.

Northern States Power Company customers using 500 kilowatt-hours of electricity per month will see an increase of 27 cents on their monthly bill, the PSC said in a statement, and natural gas customers using 100 therms a month will see an increase of 15 cents on their monthly bill, both effective August 1.

Upper Peninsula Company residential customers using 500 kilowatt-hours of electricity per month will see an increase of 30 cents on their monthly bill, also effective August 1.

Wisconsin Public Service Corporation residential customers using 100 therms of natural gas will see an increase of 17 cents on their monthly bill, effective September 1.

Two companies agreed to terms that would result in decreases as well. Residential customers of Michigan Gas Utilities Corporation using 100 ccf of natural gas a month will see a decrease of 23 cents on their monthly bill effective August 1. Residential customers using the same amount of natural gas under SEMCO Energy Gas Company will see a decrease of 59 cents on their monthly bill effective August 1.

LOW INCOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE FUNDING FACTOR: The commission also adopted a funding factor of 99 cents for the new Low Income Energy Assistance Fund on Monday, an increase from the previously proposed 91 cents per meter per month.

Much of what was expected to go into the final decision, which comes as a result of PA 95 of 2013, was how many utilities would file to have the surcharge applied. Under the law, the commission can apply the factor, which is a non-bypassable surcharge added to each retail billing meter (but no more than one residential meter per residential site), payable monthly by every customer receiving retail distribution service from an electric utility.

The following Michigan utilities filed notices of intent to participate and included meter counts: Alger Delta Cooperative Electric Association, Bay City Electric Light & Power, Chelsea Electric Department, Cherryland Electric Cooperative, City of Marshall Electric Department, City of Negaunee Electric Department, City of Norway Electric Department, City of Petoskey, City of St. Louis, Consumers Energy Company, DTE Electric Company, Hillsdale Board of Public Works, Indiana Michigan Power Company, Lowell Light and Power, Newberry Water & Light Board, Niles Utility Department, Northern States Power Company, Presque Isle Electric and Gas Co-op, Thumb Electric Cooperative, Union City, Village of Baraga, and Village of Clinton.

The surcharge cannot exceed $1, and monies collected through the surcharge are directed to a fund held by the Department of Treasury.

Monday’s order also directs all utilities that have opted-out of the collection of the surcharge not to shut off service to any residential customer from Nov. 1 through April 15, 2014, for nonpayment of a delinquent account.

The City of Croswell, Bayfield Electric Cooperative, and HomeWorks Tri-County Electric Cooperative (which had previously indicated their intent to opt in) filed elections to opt out, the commission said.