The polar vortex that descended on Michigan was one for the history books for homes and businesses that Consumers Energy provides with natural gas.

Consumers Energy set a new hourly record for natural gas delivery on Tuesday, Jan. 7. From 8 to 9 a.m., the company delivered an all-time record of 146,367 million cubic feet of natural gas. That surpasses the previous record of 146,013 set from 8 to 9 a.m. Feb. 3, 1996.

The company also came close to its 24-hour record for natural gas delivery from 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7. Homes and businesses used 3.14 billion cubic feet of gas, falling shy of the record 3.18 billion used from 5 p.m. Jan. 18, 1994, to 5 p.m. Jan. 19, 1994.

Consumers Energy is the fourth-largest natural gas utility in the U.S., delivering gas to 1.7 million customers. The company operates one of the largest gas storage systems in the country, with 15 storage fields in Michigan's Lower Peninsula.

"Customers are benefiting from investments we are making to enhance our natural gas storage and delivery system. More than 70 percent of the natural gas delivered to our customers came from our storage fields during this blast of arctic air," said Timothy Sparks, Consumers Energy's vice president for energy supply operations.

Consumers Energy, Michigan's largest utility, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and electricity to 6.6 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

SOURCE Consumers Energy