ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — Frustrated DTE Energy customers and community leaders gathered in Ann Arbor to voice their concerns about proposed rate increases and what they describe as unreliable electric service.
The Ann Arbor for Public Power Block Party brought together residents advocating for the city to take control of electricity utilities instead of relying on private companies like DTE.
"We have seen that DTE is one of the most expensive, one of the least reliable and one of the dirtiest electric utilities in the nation," said Brian Geiringer, executive director of Ann Arbor for Public Power.
Hannah Baker, a University of Michigan student, attended the rally after experiencing frequent power outages in her community.
"There have been a lot of power outages in my local community so I have dealt with a lot of power outages as a result of storms or on a random day," Baker said. "Having the opportunity to get involved in raising awareness about these issues is very important to me."
Earlier this year, DTE filed a request to increase electric rates by more than $570 million starting as early as February 2026.
Bentley Johnson with the Michigan League of Conservation Voters said the rate increases are outpacing inflation.
"Our energy bills continue to rise, electric bills are rising twice as fast as inflation," Johnson said.
Johnson called for stronger legal protections for customers facing rate increases.
"So what we're calling on is for people to support a rate payer bill of rights… provides protections for ratepayers, make sure that we get better performance, make sure that we get cleaner energy," Johnson said.
DTE responded to the concerns in a statement saying:
DTE’s work to build the electric grid of the future is showing results. Thanks to the combination of $1.5 billion of investment in the electric grid last year coupled with less extreme weather, our customers experienced a nearly 70% improvement in time spent without power in 2024.
At the same time, DTE’s residential customer bills remain lower than the Great Lakes and the national averages. DTEbills have only grown by 3% over the past four years because of our strong focus on controlling our costs and efficiently operating our power plants.
We want to build upon this success and meet our commitment to improve electric reliability while maintaining the affordability our customers demand and deserve.
Background: Michigan utility companies are regulated and held accountable for stringent Service Quality and Reliability Standards set by the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) – including specific reliability improvement goals and penalties for failing to improve performance.
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