Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has asked state regulators to cut a Consumers Energy electric rate increase roughly in half, arguing the utility is asking for far more than it can justify. The company wants to raise electric rates by approximately $456 million a year, and the attorney general’s office wants that request reduced by 53%, according to her October 6 announcement. Nothing has been approved yet, and the Michigan Public Service Commission has the final say.
What Consumers Energy is asking for
The increase is the utility’s own proposal, and the $456 million is an annual revenue figure for the whole company, not a bill amount for any one home. The release says Consumers Energy sells electricity to approximately 1.9 million customers in Michigan. It does not break the request down into a monthly or yearly dollar change per household, and it does not give a hearing date or a date for a commission decision.
The one residential number in the release is a percentage: the attorney general says the hike would raise residential electric rates by 9.8%. That percentage is tied to the full request now before the commission.
Whether the increase would reach a particular bill depends on being a Consumers Energy electric customer, and the reduction the attorney general wants is a recommendation, not a ruling. A household on Consumers Energy electric service would see new rates only after the commission decides the case. Households on a tight budget do not have to wait for that ruling to act, because the programs that help with heating and power bills have to be applied for, and winter is when the bills are highest.
With a 9.8% residential electric increase on the table for Consumers Energy customers, a fixed-income homeowner has a stake in the bill help that sits outside the rate case. The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit covers heating, cooling and home-repair help for older homeowners, with an application log and renewal calendar to track each one.
Open the heating, cooling and home-repair help in the home-cost relief kit →
Why the attorney general wants it halved
Nessel’s office is asking the commission to approve less than half of what the utility wants. Part of the dispute is the profit rate built into rates. Consumers Energy is seeking a 10.25% return on equity, which the release says would be the highest in the state, while the attorney general urges a limit of 9.20%. Return on equity is the profit rate a utility is allowed to earn on the money it invests in its system, and it feeds directly into what customers pay.
The attorney general also points to history. The release says the commission has approved nearly $800 million in rate hikes for Consumers Energy since 2020. Nessel put the objection in blunt terms: “Just like DTE, Consumers Energy inflates every rate request with unsupported and unjustifiable costs.” The attorney general’s separate September 11 release on DTE Energy’s latest rate filing lists this Consumers Energy electric request as case U-22070.
Where the case stands
The attorney general’s request is an argument to regulators, and the Michigan Public Service Commission can accept it, trim it or reject it. The release does not say when the commission is expected to rule, so any change to Consumers Energy electric rates remains a future possibility. The 9.20% recommendation is the only competing figure the release offers against the utility’s 10.25%.
Help with bills while the case is pending
The Michigan Public Service Commission runs a consumer side as well as a regulatory one. Its site describes a Michigan Energy Assistance Program that helps eligible low-income households pay electricity, natural gas, propane, heating oil or other heating fuel bills for their primary residence, either in full or in part. The page does not list income limits or application steps for households, so eligibility has to be confirmed through the commission’s Get Help page or by phone.
The commission’s consumer line is 800-292-9555 or 517-284-8100, open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern, and its site also lets customers submit an inquiry or informal complaint about a utility online.
Lining up bill help before the rate decision
The free starting point is the Michigan Public Service Commission’s consumer pages, where the “Struggling with utility bills?” link lists what utilities offer and the Utility Program Portal collects Consumers Energy’s programs in one place. Customers who want to see the rate case itself can find the filing through the commission’s e-docket system linked from the same site.
Anyone considering applying for heating or electric bill help should pull the most recent Consumers Energy bill, since it shows the account number, the service address and the current charges, and gather proof of household income. A calendar note for renewal dates helps keep track of each application. A customer who is behind on a bill can also call the commission’s line to learn what protections and payment arrangements the utility has to offer.
The attorney general’s October 6 release remains the source for the $456 million request, the 53% reduction and the 9.20% return recommendation, and the commission’s own site is where any ruling will be posted.
A 9.8% residential electric increase, still pending
If the commission approves even part of Consumers Energy’s $456 million request, households on fixed incomes would feel it on every monthly bill. The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit shows heating, cooling and home-repair help and how to claim each program, and its application log and renewal calendar keep each deadline in one place.
Track your Consumers Energy bill help with the home-cost relief kit’s application log →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
