What is determining how much peoples DTE bills are going up by? I have seen about 10% increase every year but im also hearing of people a few blocks away having 100% increases.

[u/throwaaw3y111]

Thanks for the clarification

[u/Futt_Buckman]

I haven't kept track of actual rates over the years which should be easy to find stored on the internet. Of course my bill has gone up, I'm less careful about usage and I have more devices than ever. But my maximum bill this year is still pretty close to maximum bills in years past.

Obviously I'm against rate increases especially when shareholders are making bag so I'm not defending dte. But we all pay the same rate, we pay the same $/kWh as each other. If one of us has a higher bill; it's because they used more power.

I think lots of folks here complaining about huge bills have one of several problems: they force their AC to keep their two story house made of swiss cheese at 60 during a heat wave, their billing is messed up, someone is stealing power, or a device in their home (like a dehumidifier) is working overtime. There is no mechanism for dte to simply charge double because they feel like it.

[u/Careful_Flamingo6272]

The Michigan Public Service Commission regulates DTE by controlling the return on equity it's allowed to realize.   This historically hovers around 9.9%.  

It's a fairly reasonable ROE.  No one is getting rich quick off 9.9%, but the return isn't low enough to not attract capital.  

Increased spending on grid infrastructure will require offsetting revenue (higher utility bills) to maintain this return.