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In metro Detroit, a quarter of low-income households pay more than 19% of their earnings to keep the lights on. Metro Detroiters from vulnerable communities, including Black, Hispanic and Native American residents, tend to shoulder the highest energy burdens. People living in low-income multifamily buildings, as well as older adults and renters, are also hit harder by energy costs. 

A significant energy burden means powering appliances and heating and cooling your home could be out of reach. Energy insecurity touches every facet of life. It can make it hard to hold down a job, hard to get to school, and hard to stay healthy.

DTE Energy recently filed a notice for its plan to raise rates. That request will then be filed with Michigan regulators in April and will take multiple months of review. If it is approved, residents would not see a rate hike until next year. This rate hike request comes just months after Michigan regulators approved another DTE rate increase. In January, the utility was OKed to raise rates by $217 million.

Rate hikes by DTE are among several pressure points worrying advocates. 

Shutoffs for nonpayment are a big part of DTE operations. According to a recent report by the Center for Biological Diversity, DTE shut off electricity 150,000 times for residents who couldn’t pay their bills between January and September. 

“DTE customers already have some of the highest residential rates in the country — the average bill is 17% more than that of the Great Lakes region and 11% more than the U.S. average,” the report reads. 

In a statement sent to The Metro, DTE spokesperson Ryan Lowry said the utility cannot yet comment on the rate hike request until it is filed in April with the Michigan Public Service Commission. He pointed out ways the utility supports low-income families.

“DTE and its agency partners offer a variety of assistance options to help those in need, and last year alone, we connected customers to nearly $144 million in energy assistance,” he said. 

Lowry said DTE was “proud to see Governor Whitmer sign four pieces of legislation into law to double the funding available for low-income Michiganders under the Michigan Energy Assistance Program, as well as expanded the criteria for the program so that anyone at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level would be eligible.”

Advocates, though, say increasing energy costs, shutoffs and DTE’s reliance on fossil fuels are a big problem.

Khary Frazier with Soulardarity, a nonprofit working to make clean energy accessible and affordable to all, joined The Metro on Wednesday to discuss how high energy costs affect metro Detroiters.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Hear more stories from The Metro on Wednesday, March 19, 2025.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Consumers Energy is exploring the potential use of geothermal energy to heat and cool homes in some Michigan neighborhoods. The utility is conducting a study, funded by a grant from the Michigan Public Service Commission, to determine cost-effective locations where geothermal systems could have the greatest impact.

“Our focus is one on places where we know that customers really need help with paying their bills, and so we want to reduce their costs as much as possible. Which network geothermal is incredibly efficient,” said spokesperson Tracy Wimmer.

Geothermal heating and cooling systems rely on the Earth’s constant underground temperature of about 55 degrees. These systems use a network of pipes and pumps to circulate water, drawing heat into buildings during winter and dispersing it in summer.

The study will also identify which cities have poor air quality and would benefit most from reduced emissions.

“For example, you have a business that actually needs to keep it pretty cool year-round; they can be pushing that heat out, but then other homes nearby, for example, on the system, can be using that heat. So not only is it efficient for the individual homes, but it’s efficient for whole communities,” Wimmer added.

Consumers Energy expects to complete the study by the end of the year.