(WWJ) If you have DTE Energy, your electric bill is about to go up.
The Michigan Public Service Commission announced Friday that is has approved new rates for DTE customers. The new rates are set to go into effect one week from today, on May 15, 2020.
For most residential customers using 500 kilowatt hours of electricity, officials say bills will increase by around $4 a month.
The money will be used, DTE says, to pay for tree trimming, as well as improvements at the Ludington Pumped Storage Power Plant.
Despite the increase, DTE said the average DTE monthly electric customer bill will continue to be lower than the national average.
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-13) in a statement condemed what is a $188.3 million rate increase in total for Michigan residents in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.
“It’s outrageous that amidst a global pandemic where unemployment is at its highest level since the Great Depression, DTE has chosen to raise rates on Michiganders who are already struggling to make ends meet. I am very concerned that DTE is prioritizing enriching its shareholders over providing quality, affordable service to my residents. Our neighbors who are DTE customers already pay an additional $650 million annually – a 13% increase in costs to the average customer – so that DTE can line the pockets of investors and executives," Tlaib said.
"All this while DTE fails to upgrade its aging infrastructure, especially in Detroit and other low-income communities that are used to experiencing prolonged blackouts and service outages. Michiganders pay some of the nation’s highest rates and get some of the worst service for their money. DTE is showing their real priority is not their customers, but rather profits for their shareholders. Sadly, this is to be expected when for-profit entities control the basic services we need to survive.”
Amid the health and financial hardships that many Michiganders are experiencing because of the COVID-19 pandemic, DTE said it's taking several measures to assist its customers. The energy company has extended its service protection period to June 1 and is providing between $30 to $40 million in bill relief for its electric customers during the months of June and July, typically peak summer usage months.
To further help customers who may experience both short- and long-term income difficulties because of the pandemic, DTE recently launched a new Personalized Service Protection program. Customized services that are being made available to eligible customers include fee waivers, payment assistance and flexible long-term repayment options. Learn more about DTE's COVID-19 response here.