State is plunged back in time for horrifying reason - forcing residents to take extreme measures
Shocking hikes in electric bills have left residents in the state of Michigan resorting to old-fashioned techniques to save money.
Consumers Energy, the second largest power provider in the state, filed an intention to raise rates in March, leaving residents bracing for even higher bills.
The filing requested an annual rate hike of a whopping $436 million. The increase would take effect May 2026 with Michiganders seeing a dramatic shift in their electric bills just in time for summer.
The case filing has already generated over 40 comments, with citizens sharing how the increase would impact their daily lives.
'I am EXTREMELY upset that any rate increase would be considered at this time,' Michigan resident, Beth Pfoutz said in the filling viewed by the Daily Mail.
Pfoutz, a resident in a three-bedroom home in Chelsea, said her electric furnace has caused her bills to skyrocket in the winter and that she has gone to extreme measures to keep warm.
'I spent countless hours splitting wood, which I used all winter to assist in keeping the electric bill down,' Pfoutz said, adding that her bill for February was a shocking $906.37.
Another resident, Branden Smith, said he is already struggling financially after breaking his back in 2009 and having to go on disability payments.
Residents in Michigan have felt the brunt of rising electric bills as utility companies like DTE and Consumers Energy prepare to raise rates (file photo)
Detroit, Michigan, is seen above. Residents have continued to express their discontent with their electric bills, resorting to chopping wood and monitoring the temperatures in their home
Smith said he needed air in the summer to combat his health issues and pays over $300 a month to cool his small, three-bedroom home.
Mary Ann Yaeger, who volunteers with nonprofits combatting food insecurity, urged lawmakers to deny the energy company's request for increased rates.
'Michigan households are in NO POSITION to pay any more for energy to heat or power their homes (if they still even have one),' she wrote.
'We suffer some of the most frequent and prolonged power outages in the nation while paying the highest energy rates in the Midwest. Meanwhile, Consumers' CEO makes more than $10 million dollars a year.'
According to data compiled by the Energy and Policy Institute in 2020, the CEO of Consumers Energy, Patricia Poppe, made over $6 million in 2017, $8 million in 2018, and almost $9 million in 2019.
Garrick J. Rochow assumed the position in 2020, and Poppe is now the CEO of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).
Annual rate hikes are approved by the Michigan Public Service Commission. Three commissioners are appointed to the committee by the governor for staggered six-year terms.
Consumers Energy said since the case was still pending before the Commission, they were unable to comment on the backlash to rising rates.
Consumers Energy filed to raise rates in March, requesting an annual rate hike of a whopping $436 million (file photo)
Residents have complained that their electric bills are already too high with some claiming they've resorted to splitting wood to save money (file photo)
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (pictured) has hit back at the utility companies, vowing to prevent them from raising rates
DTE Electric, the state's most popular energy provider, also petitioned the commission for a rate hike earlier this year.
The company filed an application to increase rates in February to 'improve the reliability of the grid and to sustain the reliability of its generation fleet while moving toward cleaner sources of generation.'
DTE requested a jaw-dropping $574.1 million for 2026 to reduce power outages and cut outage time in the state.
The request came after the commission approved a $217 million increase in January, which resulted in a $4.61 increase per month to the average customer, according to the case filing.
Residents have pushed back on the increases, claiming that they've seen larger increases than just $4.
Blake Browe, a Michigan resident who uses DTE, submitted a comment on the case filing begging the commission not to accept the rate increases.
'DTE energy is my energy provider and I am reaching out with concerns about the ever increasing rates. My wife and I both work multiple jobs and still find it difficult to make ends meet,' Browe wrote.
Ellen Near wrote that her energy bill was higher than a $5 increase, claiming it rose by around $30 a month.
'I already keep my heat at 59 when awake and 49 when in bed or running errands. I certainly will not be able to cope with another rate hike and why so soon??' she questioned.
Consumers Energy is asking for millions of dollars to be approved by the Michigan Public Service Commission (file photo of Consumers Energy headquarters)
Residents have slammed DTE and Consumers Energy for continuing to raise rates with the Michigan Public Service Commission
Defense of the hikes
DTE and Consumers Energy have defended the rate hikes as an essential means to improve service and cut down on outages.
Ryan Lowry, a representative for DTE, told the Daily Mail there were multiple factors including weather, average use of air conditioning and state-level energy goals that contribute to utility rates.
'Because of factors such as these, DTE's customers (and Michiganders in general), end up using less energy than most other utility customers across the country, and therefore have higher than average rates,' Lowry said.
He called the bills 'a better measure of affordability than rates,' adding that Indiana residents, for example, pay at 'below average national rates' but see bills that are 'about 10% higher than DTE's' due to varied usage.
In terms of average electric bills, Michigan ranks under the national average of $137 with residents spending an average of $114 a month.
Hawaii tops the list with the highest average monthly electric cost and bills of $204. California, which ranks second in terms of cost, has residents paying a $163 bill, while Connecticut is in third place for costs but racks up bills around $190 a month, according to Power Outage US.
Some critics argue that the metric is not accurate, as states like California and Hawaii rely more on air conditioning due to the warmer climate.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer promised to lower utility bills for Michiganders in 2023 with a clean energy bill, but residents say they have yet to see relief
Critics hit back
Christopher Bzdok, a Michigan attorney representing consumers against utility rate increases, told MLive: 'It's a ridiculous comparison to compare the bill in hot weather states with the bills of people in a cold weather state and say, 'look our bills in the cold weather state are lower.''
'It should be obvious that, of course, someone in Arkansas has a higher electricity bill that someone in Michigan because they run the air conditioner 500 percent more.'
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has also been a staunch critic against utility companies, vowing to fight the rate increases.
In response to DTE's $574 million request, Nessel said: 'Just three months after the MPSC approved a $217 million rate hike, DTE is already back, asking for nearly $600 million more from ratepayers still very dissatisfied with the quality of service they receive.'
'At some point, we have to ask how long utility companies like DTE and Consumers Energy will be allowed to treat customer bills and our energy rates like a blank check.'
As residents grapple with electricity bills, an investigation by the Energy & Policy Institute, revealed in 2023 that DTE and Consumers Energy gave nearly half a million dollars in campaign contributions through political action committees tied to the companies.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer then signed a clean energy bill in November, 2023, writing at the time: 'Together, we are fighting for our air, land and water, improving public health and protecting our precious natural resources for future generations. We are building the future in Michigan.'
Despite the legislation, residents have continued to express their discontent with their electric bills, resorting to chopping wood and monitoring the temperatures in their home to stay afloat.
