Regulatory Changes Could Mean Lower Electric Bills

Columbus and Karen Johnson Moore say they do all they can to conserve energy. Their DTE Energy bills are still $400-$500. Photo credit: Cydni Elledge/Outlier Media

Is there any resident who doesn’t think their electricity costs too much and that the utility companies are taking advantage of us to enhance their profits? Probably not.

That just might change if the recommendations of the Michigan Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities, are adopted. Governor Whitmer had asked the commission this summer to suggest ways to lower utility bills and enhance energy assistance. The goal of the commission was to make sure that no Michigan family has to pay more than 6% of their household income on energy. Here are the MPSC recommendations:

• Requiring utilities to show they are getting more out of existing transmission and distribution lines, including advanced conductors and grid-enhancing technologies, before building new ones.

• Cutting back a bonus utilities collect for buying power.

• Changing how utilities get paid back for closed power plants.

• Writing the data center rules into law. The commission has already imposed terms on Consumers and DTE meant to keep data centers from shifting their costs onto everyone else, and it wants those locked into statute so a future commission can’t undo them.

• Opening the door to virtual power plants.

• Letting the commission require utilities to take bids.

For details on these recommended policy changes as well as proposals to increase energy assistance, check out Planet Detroit.

And let’s tell Michigan State Representative Veronica Paiz and State Senator Paul Wojno what we think about these recommendations.