# Consumers Energy Rate Increase 2027: $13 a Month Requested

> Consumers Energy rate increase 2027: it asks for $456M a year, about $13 more on a $155 monthly bill. The AG wants a 53% cut; a ruling is due by April 2027.

- URL: https://solarexaminer.com/posts/consumers-energy-electric-rate-increase-2027/
- Site: Solar Examiner (https://solarexaminer.com/)
- Category: News
- Published: 2026-10-30
- Last verified: 2026-10-30
- Author: John Marshall

## Key takeaways

- Consumers Energy filed on June 2, 2026, asking the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) for about $456 million a year in new electric revenue. This is a request, not an approved increase.
- Consumers estimates a home with a typical $155 monthly electric bill would pay about $13 more a month. The Attorney General puts the residential rate increase at 9.8% if the full request is granted.
- In testimony filed the week before October 6, Attorney General Dana Nessel asked the MPSC to cut the request by 53% and to hold Consumers' return on equity to 9.20%, versus the 10.25% the company seeks.
- The MPSC has until April 2027 to decide. In the last electric case it approved $276.6 million of a $436 million request, effective May 1, 2026.
- For solar owners, Consumers credits exported energy at the power supply rate including transmission, so higher delivery charges make self-used solar worth more than exported solar.



**Consumers Energy is asking Michigan regulators for about $456 million a year in higher electric rates, which the utility estimates would add about $13 a month for a home with a typical $155 bill.** Nothing is approved. The Michigan Attorney General has asked the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) to cut the request by 53%, and the commission has until April 2027 to decide.

If approved, this would be Consumers' second electric increase in about a year: the last one, $276.6 million, took effect May 1, 2026. Our guide to [how DTE and Consumers rates have changed in Michigan this year](/posts/michigan-electricity-rate-changes-2026/) tracks both utilities' cases.

## What Consumers Energy Is Asking For

| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Utility | Consumers Energy, about 1.9 million electric customers in Michigan |
| Case | U-22070, before the MPSC (case number from news coverage) |
| Filed | June 2, 2026 |
| Status | Requested, not approved |
| Annual revenue requested | About $456 million |
| Extra requests | A 12-month surcharge of $25 million, and $52 million over three years for storm restoration costs |
| Typical home | About $13 more a month on a $155 bill (Consumers' estimate) |
| Residential rate increase | 9.8% at the full request (Attorney General) |
| Return on equity sought | 10.25%, up from 9.9% |
| Decision deadline | April 2027 |

Two numbers describe the household impact, and they measure different things. Consumers' $13 on a $155 bill is about 8.4% of the whole bill (our arithmetic), which news coverage of Consumers' estimate rounded to "about 9%." The Attorney General's 9.8% describes residential electric rates. Neither has been approved.

The surcharge and storm-cost requests are separate from the $456 million base increase, according to the Attorney General. We did not find a household estimate for them.

## What the Money Would Pay For

Consumers links the case to its Reliability Action Plan. Coverage of the filing describes that plan as burying 50 miles of power lines underground, more tree trimming near lines, improving circuits with frequent outages and new grid technology. A Consumers spokesperson told Michigan Public that "75 cents of every dollar goes directly back into securing our electric grid."

The request also asks for a higher return on equity, the profit rate regulators allow on the utility's investments. Consumers' return on equity has been 9.9% since 2020, and the company wants 10.25%, according to Michigan Public.

## The Attorney General's Counterproposal

Attorney General Dana Nessel intervened in the case. In an October 6, 2026 release saying she had filed testimony the previous week, her office asked the MPSC to "cut their requested rate hike by 53%" and to "limit Consumers Energy's return on equity to just 9.20%." A 53% cut would leave roughly $214 million of the $456 million (our arithmetic). The office also asked regulators to weigh affordability, citing rising residential disconnections.

The Attorney General is one party. MPSC staff and other intervenors file their own positions, and an administrative law judge typically issues a proposal before the commissioners vote. Our explainer on [how electric rate cases work](/posts/how-electric-rate-cases-work/) walks through those steps.

## What Happened Last Time

Consumers' previous electric case is the best guide to how this one may end. The utility asked for $436 million plus a $24.3 million surcharge. On March 27, 2026, the MPSC approved $276.6 million, about 63% of the base request (our arithmetic), effective May 1, 2026. The Attorney General said that raised residential electricity rates by 8.9%.

If the commission again granted about 63%, this case would come to roughly $290 million. That is an illustration, not a forecast: each case is decided on its own record, and how the increase is split between homes and businesses can change.

## What It Means for Your Bill

Using Consumers' own figures, a home paying $155 a month would pay about $168 if the full request were approved: $13 more a month, or about $156 a year. A smaller approved increase would mean a smaller bill change, though rate design can shift how much lands on homes. Your exact change depends on how much electricity you use and on which rate you are on.

Before the decision:

1. **Check your usage.** Your bill shows monthly kWh. Homes that use more than average will generally see more than the $13 estimate, depending on rate design.
2. **Ask about assistance early.** If winter bills are already a stretch, see our guide to [LIHEAP and other bill help](/posts/liheap-energy-assistance-2026-27/).
3. **Comment if you want to.** The MPSC takes written public comments in each docket. Reference Case No. U-22070.

## What It Means for Solar Owners

Consumers says on its distributed generation page that excess energy is "credited at power supply rate including transmission." That credit does not include distribution charges. So when distribution charges rise, every kWh of solar you use in your home saves more, while the export credit does not rise with distribution charges.

If you are sizing a new system for a Consumers home, aim it at your own usage rather than at export credits, and get quotes that model the current outflow credit. Our guide to [comparing solar quotes](/posts/how-to-compare-solar-quotes/) lists the numbers to check.

## Sources and verification

| Important claim | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Filed June 2, 2026; about $456 million a year; 9.8% residential; $25 million surcharge and $52 million storm costs; about 1.9 million electric customers | [Michigan Attorney General, June 2, 2026](https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2026/06/02/ag-nessel-to-intervene-in-consumers-energy-massive-456m-rate-hike-request) | Verified |
| AG asks for a 53% cut and a 9.20% return on equity; Consumers seeks 10.25% | [Michigan Attorney General, Oct. 6, 2026](https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2026/10/06/ag-nessel-argues-to-cut-consumers-energy-rate-hike-in-half) | Verified |
| About $13 a month on a $155 bill ("about 9%"); MPSC has until April 2027 | [FOX 17, June 3, 2026](https://fox17online.com/news/local-news/michigan/consumers-energy-seeks-456-million-electric-rate-hike-from-michigan-regulators) | Qualified (Consumers' estimate, reported by news) |
| Reliability Action Plan; ROE 9.9% since 2020; spokesperson quote | [Michigan Public, June 3, 2026](https://www.michiganpublic.org/environment-climate-change/2026-06-03/consumers-energy-asks-for-456-million-rate-hike-ag-nessel-pledges-to-intervene); [WNEM, June 3, 2026](https://www.wnem.com/2026/06/03/consumers-energy-proposes-grid-upgrades-aimed-reduced-power-outages-across-michigan/) | Qualified (news) |
| Case number U-22070; rates around May 2027 | [GCN, Oct. 27, 2026](https://gcn.com/consumers-energy-456-million-rate-hike/22800) | Qualified (news) |
| Prior case: $436 million asked, $276.6 million approved March 27, 2026, effective May 1, 2026; 8.9% residential | [Michigan Attorney General, March 27, 2026](https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2026/03/27/mpsc-approves-276m-consumers-energy-rate-hike) | Verified |
| Separate gas increase approved Oct. 15, 2026, about $3.92 a month from Nov. 1 | [MPSC, Oct. 15, 2026](https://www.michigan.gov/mpsc/commission/news-releases/2026/10/15/mpsc-approves-continued-safety-investments-for-consumers-natural-gas-system) | Verified (in our earlier report) |
| Written public comments accepted in MPSC dockets | [MPSC case notice (standard language)](https://adms.apps.lara.state.mi.us/Mpsc/ViewNoticeDocument/1490) | Qualified (notice for a different Consumers case) |
| Exports credited at power supply rate including transmission | [Consumers Energy, Distributed Generation](https://www.consumersenergy.com/residential/savings-and-clean-energy/renewable-energy/distributed-generation) | Verified |
| Percentages, 53% and 63% scenarios, annual cost | Our arithmetic from the figures above | Qualified (illustrations, not forecasts) |

## Limitations

We could not open the MPSC's case filings for U-22070, so the $13 household estimate and the April 2027 deadline come from news coverage of Consumers' filing, and the case number comes from news reports. We did not find MPSC staff's position or a kWh assumption behind the $155 typical bill. This article will be updated when the administrative law judge's proposal or the commission's order is issued.

## Frequently asked questions

### How much is Consumers Energy raising electric rates in 2027?

Nothing is approved yet. Consumers asked for about $456 million a year, which it estimates at about $13 a month for a home with a $155 monthly bill. In the previous case, the MPSC granted $276.6 million of $436 million.

### When would new Consumers Energy electric rates start?

The MPSC has until April 2027 to rule, according to news reports of the filing. New rates would follow that order, which press coverage puts at around May 2027.

### Why is Consumers Energy asking for another increase?

Consumers ties the request to its Reliability Action Plan, which includes tree trimming near lines, burying lines underground and fixing circuits with frequent outages. It also seeks a higher return on equity, 10.25% versus 9.9% now.

### Can I comment on the Consumers Energy rate case?

Yes. The MPSC accepts written public comments in each case docket. Reference the case number, U-22070, and send comments through the MPSC's e-dockets email or by mail to the Commission's Executive Secretary in Lansing.

### Does this affect Consumers Energy gas bills?

No. This is the electric case. A separate gas increase approved October 15, 2026 adds about $3.92 a month for a typical gas customer starting November 1.


Image credit: Photo by Alivia Alva on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/power-lines-and-transformers-on-a-utility-pole-88Chc9OJ3sg?utm_source=solarexaminer&utm_medium=referral)