security statement

NorthStar Clean Energy is committed to protecting the privacy of our customers and the security of our computer systems to the extent possible, subject to provisions of state and federal law. NorthStar Clean Energy has implemented numerous levels of security to protect the information you share with us. Industry standards and NorthStar Clean Energy-specific measures have been put in place to protect your sensitive information. Technologies such as encryption and user verification are used in certain areas of our web site where sensitive information may be viewed and/or submitted.

Encryption is a security technology used to protect information by making it unreadable during transmission. NorthStar Clean Energy uses Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption, which provides a secure connection between your browser and our web site. SSL allows information to be transmitted securely and helps to prevent interception of data between your browser and NorthStar Clean Energy web servers.

Portions of NorthStar Clean Energy's web site that transmit sensitive information have SSL encryption enabled. Internet browsers have a feature that allows you to determine if SSL encryption is active by looking for a security lock and the words “https://” similar to the following:

Most of the information on the NorthStar Clean Energy web site is public and accessible by everyone. Consequently an “insecure” or non-encrypted mode is appropriate for those areas. Some parts of the web site provide access to sensitive information and where such information is transmitted SSL encryption is utilized.

Absolutely. Below are a few easy suggestions that will help protect information:

• Before sending confidential/sensitive information always verify that SSL encryption is enabled, as explained under How do I know when a web site is secure?
• When creating passwords choose one that is easy for you to remember but difficult for others to guess.
• Avoid any easily identifiable information, like your name, address, phone number, etc. Also avoid sequential series, like 1234 or abc or xyz. Use at least eight characters, using a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters for example g0w@tts (zero instead of “o” and “@” instead of “a”) or smi1ez (one instead of “l” and “z” instead of “s”).
• Maintain secrecy of your web site logon and password so only you can access the information. If you believe the information may have been compromised change them immediately.
• If someone calls you, representing him/herself as a NorthStar Clean Energy employee, and asks for your unique identifiers don't tell them. Instead, contact us immediately at 517-768-3376.

If you have any questions about this Security Statement, the practices of this web site, or issues or concerns with this web site, you can:

• Send email to cybersecurity@consumersenergy.com
• Or if you prefer send mail to the following postal address:
  Cyber Security
  NorthStar Clean Energy
  One Energy Plaza
  Jackson, MI 49201