FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (WXYZ) — A homeowner in Farmington Hills said she bought a whole house generator in November to be proactive about power outages.
Karen, who didn't want to use her full name, said she was told by three different contractors she would have to upgrade her gas meter to properly run the $14,000 unit.
“So after the generator was installed and everything was done, I contacted (Consumers Energy) and said, ‘We’re ready to go,’” Karen, the homeowner recalled.
She said she paid $646, in advance, for the gas meter upgrade. That was December 6th.
At that time, she said she wasn’t told how long it would take before a new gas meter could be installed. Karen said she wants to be able to safely power the AC unit in the summer if the power goes out.
“I keep contacting Consumers Energy. Nobody’s replying to my email anymore. Nobody’s phone calls anymore,” Karen recalled.
She said she then contacted the Michigan Public Service Commission. That prompted Consumers to return her messages after two months and they let her know there’s a shortage of the '425' gas meters. Recently, she received another call.
“And it was Consumers Energy telling us that there are no meters, and there probably won’t be any meters until the first or second quarter of 2024," Karen said.
She said she was given the choice to stay on the waitlist or receive a refund.
The homeowner explained, "My concern is is there any danger in running this generator without a proper upgrade?"
7 Action News reached out to Consumers Energy. Tracy Wimmer, a media relations specialist, said there is a meter shortage because of a supply chain issue.
“We do everything we can, one, on the front end to make sure that all of our paperwork is taken care of. So, as soon as the supply chain issue is resolved we can do our work immediately which is why customers sometimes experience the frustrations of dealing with us, paying for things upfront, ya know, having conversations about pieces being installed," Wimmer explained.
As for whether Karen can run the generator on the current gas meter this summer safely, it's understood her best move is to check with a heating and cooling expert.
